We show that the introduction of a large asset permanently affects the prices of existing assets in a market. Using data from 254 initial public offerings (IPOs) in 22 emerging markets, we find that portfolios that covary highly with the IPO experience a decline in prices relative to other...

We study the determinants of corporate investment growth in the U.S. We use accounting identities to develop a system in which unexpected changes in investment growth are decomposed into surprises to current earnings growth, surprises to current stock returns, revisions of expectations about...

We study the determinants of aggregate corporate investment in the U.S. We use accounting identities to develop a system in which (i) news about future cash flows and news about future discount rates are directly estimated, thus mitigating measurement problems with Tobin's q, the variable that...

We study business groups' internal capital markets using a unique data set on intra-group lending in Chile (1990-2009). In line with groups' financing advantage, firms that borrow internally have higher investment, leverage, and ROE than other firms. At the margin, controlling shareholders have...

We examine market timing in the equity issuance of firms controlled by large shareholders using a hand-collected data set of controlling shareholders' ownership stakes in Chile between 1990 and 2009. When a firm issues shares, the controlling shareholder can either maintain or change his...

Using a novel data base for three emerging markets, we find that the type of large shareholder matters for CEO compensation. In particular, we find a compensation premium of about 30 log points for professional (not controller-related) CEOs working in firms controlled by a family compared to...

We study the empirical determinants of corporate ownership dynamics in a market where large shareholders are prevalent. We use a unique, hand-collected 20-year data-set on the ownership structure of Chilean companies. Controllers' block-holdings are on average high -as in continental Europe, for...

We revisit the relationship between ownership concentration and firm value using hand-collected data on the stakes of owner-managers immediately before and after IPOs. We instrument for the reduction in concentration using market returns on the three months prior to the IPO. Short-run market...

We argue that investor protection changes the relative importance of productivity and scale as drivers of corporate control transfers. Using a large sample of European firms we find that control transfers are more correlated with increasing profitability and less correlated with increasing size...

We study the inner workings of internal capital markets during the 2008-9 recession using a unique dataset of loans between business-group firms in an emerging market. Intra-group loans increase quickly during the recession. Firms that are more central in the ownership network simultaneously...