Over the last decade, U.S. firms have used their large cash holdings to buyback shares and pay dividends, instead of investing in R&D activities that can spur future growth. One possible reason for this behavior is that R&D activities — yielding new products and services or cost reductions —...

High-frequency trading has become a dominant force in the U.S. capital market, accounting for over 70% of dollar trading volume. This study examines the implication of high-frequency trading for stock price volatility and price discovery. I find that high-frequency trading is positively...