Diversified firms trade at a discount relative to similar single-segment firms. We argue in this paper that this observed discount is not per se evidence that diversification destroys value. Firms choose to diversify. Firm characteristics, which make firms diversify, might also cause them to be...

We examine the role of foreign currency denominated debt in firms' risk management activities. In a sample of large US firms, we find a strong relation between aggregate foreign exchange exposure and foreign currency denominated debt. This relationship between exposure and foreign currency...

We find a positive relation between ownership by institutions with active strategies and short investment horizons (transient institutions) and the occurrence and magnitude of financial restatements. Even ownership by institutions with enhanced incentives to monitor does not attenuate...

Hedge fund activists have ambiguous relationships with the institutional shareholders in their target firms. While some support their activities, others counter their actions. Due to their relatively small holdings in target firms, the activists typically need the cooperation of other...

This paper explores the market reaction to vertical mergers and incorporates into the analysis predictions based on I/O theories.We develop a classification to separate the various types of mergers, and focus on the determinants and wealth impacts of vertical mergers over the period 1979-2002....

This paper argues that the documented discount on diversified firms is not per se evidence that diversification destroys value. Firms choose to diversify. We use three alternative econometric techniques to control for the endogeneity of the diversification decision, and find evidence supporting...

We argue that earnings management and fraudulent accounting have important economic consequences. In a model where the costs of earnings management are endogenous, we show that in equilibrium, bad managers hire and invest too much in order to pool with the good managers. This behavior distorts...