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We investigate the role of financial reporting quality in reducing a firm's over‐ and underleverage problems. While the prior literature examining reporting quality and capital structure has focused on observed capital structure, research suggests that financing frictions arising from adverse selection concerns can result in differences between observed and optimal capital structures. Using the deviation from a predicted model of optimal capital structure, we find that approximately a third of firms that have more leverage than their industry's median firm are in fact underlevered and more than 15% of firms that have less leverage than their industry's median firm are in fact overlevered. Building off a large literature that provides evidence that financial reporting quality can mitigate adverse selection concerns and reduce financing frictions, we find that a firm's deviation from the predicted model of optimal capital structure is decreasing in financial reporting quality, and these results are larger in magnitude for firms that are overlevered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology is paving innovative ways to provide financial services and improve the efficiency of financial systems. Since it is a dynamic field of research, it is important to look back on the ever-changing field of financial technology. This paper aims to analyse the existing research on financial technology through a bibliometric approach. The data were gathered from the Scopus database using secondary sources, and the analysis is presented descriptively along with science-mapping techniques. This paper offers an overview of the influential journals, authors, and organizations contributing to financial technology research. The study focuses on citation, cocitation, bibliographic coupling, and coauthorship analysis within the collected corpus. It is worth noting that this study is limited by the use of only one database, Scopus and excludes grey literature, this could lead to skewed results but this can be an arena for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal health coverage relies on providing essential medical services and shielding individuals from financial risks. Our study assesses the progressivity of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments, identifies factors contributing to healthcare expenditure inequality, and examines catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) prevalence in Kazakhstan from 2018 to 2021. Using retrospective analysis of National Statistics Bureau data, we employed STATA 13 version for calculations CHE incidence, progressivity, Lorenz and concentration curves. In 2020–2021, OOP expenditures in Kazakhstan decreased, reflecting a nearly twofold reduction in the CHE incidence to 1.32% and 1.24%, respectively. However, during these years, we observe a transition towards a positive trend in the Kakwani index to 0.003 and 0.005, respectively, which may be explained by household size and education level factors. Increased state financing and quarantine measures contributed to reduced OOP payments. Despite a low healthcare expenditure share in gross domestic product, Kazakhstan exhibits a relatively high private healthcare spending proportion. The low CHE incidence and proportional expenditure system suggest private payments do not significantly impact financial resilience, prompting considerations about the role of government funding and social health insurance in the financing structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article thoroughly examines the influence of digital transformation on the efficiency of corporate supply chains. As global economic integration accelerates and technological innovations deepen, digital transformation has become key to enhancing core corporate competitiveness. This research, utilizing data from A-share listed companies in China between 2007 and 2022, analyzes how companies improve supply chain efficiency through digital transformation. Furthermore, the study establishes a theoretical framework that demonstrates how digital transformation facilitates supply chain efficiency from the perspectives of internal governance and external competition. The research indicates that digital transformation plays a key role in significantly enhancing supply chain efficiency. Furthermore, the results of the mechanism analysis confirmed that digital transformation contributes to enhancing corporate supply chain efficiency by improving the level of corporate governance and the degree of market competition. The study also finds that the effect of digital transformation on supply chain efficiency varies with different corporate backgrounds, indicating its heterogeneous impact. Lastly, an analysis of economic consequences shows that the increased supply chain efficiency resulting from digital transformation can reduce future external transaction costs, strengthening the company's market position and financial performance. This research provides strategic guidance for firms to develop robust strategies amid the digital wave and offers strong policy recommendations for promoting digital supply chain management and enhancing market adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stocks do not exist in isolation in the financial markets, but there are complex relationships among them, which leads to the fluctuations in the stock prices have the properties of synchronism, systematic linkage and conductivity. From the relevancy-based perspective, a group of stocks with distinct degrees of correlation constitute the spatial structure of hypergraph, which combines with temporal information together to provide the important basis for the analysis of financial market behaviors. However, how to effectively learn the intrinsic relevancies of stocks is still an open problem. In this article, we proposed the Multiple Stock Recommendation system based on a novel Spatio-Temporal Hypergraph Learning framework (MSR-STHL). Firstly, inspired by the existing works, LSTM-attention module is applied to learn the temporal features of stocks, where Hawkes process is involved to enhance the attention mechanism in the long-term time scale. Secondly, by means of the prior knowledge and data-driven methods, the relevancy-based spatial structures among stocks are modeled from several aspects, where data-driven way can provide the potential relations among stocks and make up the disadvantage of untimely change of prior knowledge. Thirdly, graph attention networks and hypergraph convolution operations are used to achieve the fusion learning of multiple graphs/hypergraphs. Finally, the recommended stocks on the return prediction are provided. The proposed model is evaluated on three stock market datasets, i.e. NASDAQ, NYSE, and China A-share, respectively. In comparison with state-of-the-art methods, the proposed model can outperform the existing methods and the validity is confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, entrepreneurs build long-term companies that generate profits by selling goods and services. Nowadays, entrepreneurs are building companies solely to sell them to larger corporations to profit from early 'exits' due to the glorifying media characteristic. Based on an Israeli case study, this article examines how media outlets portray the 'exit' catchphrase. An analysis of semi-structured interviews with Israeli tech journalists and a thematic analysis of news articles is used to identify the three main narratives appearing in the media for encouraging exits: High-tech entrepreneur (individual), company (entity), and the industry (macro point of view). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Analysis of laboratory value often lacks assessment of the laboratory's impact on quality of care. In this study, we aimed to determine the impact of bringing a heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibody assay in-house on a quality metric—patient hospital length of stay (LOS)—and assess any associated cost savings. Methods A retrospective review of patient visits with a HIT antibody assay over a 7-year period determined the mean LOS in send-out vs in-house HIT antibody assay cohorts as well as cohorts of positive and negative results. Our systemwide mean LOS and metrics of acuity were analyzed. We performed a financial analysis of estimated cost savings. Results We found a mean LOS reduction of 3.97 days in the in-house cohort, with no evidence of a systemwide LOS decrease or a decline in patient acuity. This reduction was largely driven by a reduction in LOS among patients with a negative assay result. We found an estimated total cost savings of $3.9 million and an estimated mean savings per patient of $7,305, despite escalating health care costs over time. Conclusions We demonstrated a reduction in LOS following the introduction of an in-house HIT antibody assay that cannot be attributed to either systemwide initiatives or reduced patient acuity and was driven largely by patients with negative assays. This reduction was associated with significant estimated cost savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nascent for-profit psychedelic industry has begun to engage in corporate practices like funding scientific research and research programs. There is substantial evidence that such practices from other industries like tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals and food create conflicts of interest and can negatively influence population health. However, in a context of funding pressures, low publicly funded success rates and precarious academic labor, there is limited ethics guidance for researchers working at the intersection of clinical practice and population health as to how they should approach potential financial sponsorship from for-profit entities, such as the psychedelic industry. This article reports on a reflective exercise among a group of clinician scientists working in psychedelic science, where we applied Adams' (2016) PERIL (Purpose, Extent, Relevant harm, Identifiers, Link) ethical decision-making framework to a fictionalized case of corporate psychedelic financial sponsorship. Our analysis suggests financial relationships with the corporate psychedelic sector may create varying degrees of risk to a research program's purpose, autonomy and integrity. We argue that the commercial determinants of health provide a useful framework for understanding the ethics of industry-healthcare entanglements and can provide an important population health ethics lens to examine nascent industries such as psychedelics, and work toward potential solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using mean and variance causality analysis, this study examines the volatility relationship between Turkish and G7 stock markets. Weekly return data from May 29, 2009, to June 6, 2023, is utilized for the analysis. The Hong mean and variance causality analysis method is employed as the methodology. Based on the results of the study, Turkey and Japan's stock markets have a significant mean causality relationship. Moreover, the variance causality analysis demonstrates a strong relationship between Turkey and stock markets of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The findings contribute to portfolio diversification strategies and highlight the importance of understanding the dynamics of international financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a dual-feedback process that links watershed plan actions with raw water charges. A dedicated decision support model is created to implement this process and allow long-term financial sustainability analysis. The model offers real-time analysis of various watershed actions using customizable prioritization criteria integrated with different water pricing configurations, including user-polluter pays and beneficiary-pays principles, as well as other funding sources. Application to the Piracicaba–Capiravi–Jundiaí Basins in Brazil shows how important water management and water quality improving actions can be funded through water charges and how finance gaps can be resolved through a shared Vision Modelling approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to assess the adequacy of state aid provided to Polish enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research sample encompasses 21,687 non-financial enterprises classified as large, medium, and small, accounting for 32.7% of all non-financial enterprises in Poland falling into these groups. The article develops an original method for measuring the justification and accuracy of state aid directed to enterprises in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, utilising changes in firms’ sales revenues. The conducted analyses confirmed that the level of effectiveness of support policies varied significantly across economic sectors. In the first year of the pandemic, support policies were most effective in sectors P (education), Q (healthcare and social assistance), and I (accommodation and food service activities). In the second and third years of the pandemic, sectors Q and E (water supply; sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities) exhibited the highest effectiveness. The analyses also led to the conclusion that sectors with lower average firm size measured by sales revenues demonstrated higher effectiveness of support policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers a stable vector autoregressive (VAR) model and investigates return predictability in a Bayesian context. The bivariate VAR system comprises asset returns and a further prediction variable, such as the dividend-price ratio, and allows pinning down the question of return predictability to the value of one particular model parameter. We develop a new shrinkage type prior for this parameter and compare our Bayesian approach to ordinary least squares estimation and to the reduced-bias estimator proposed in Amihud and Hurvich (2004. "Predictive Regressions: A Reduced-Bias Estimation Method." Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 39: 813–41). A simulation study shows that the Bayesian approach dominates the reduced-bias estimator in terms of observed size (false positive) and power (false negative). We apply our methodology to a system comprising annual CRSP value-weighted returns running, respectively, from 1926 to 2004 and from 1953 to 2021, and the logarithmic dividend-price ratio. For the first sample, the Bayesian approach supports the hypothesis of no return predictability, while for the second data set weak evidence for predictability is observed. Then, instead of the dividend-price ratio, some prediction variables proposed in Welch and Goyal (2008. "A Comprehensive Look at the Empirical Performance of Equity Premium Prediction." Review of Financial Studies 21: 1455–508) are used. Also with these prediction variables, only weak evidence for return predictability is supported by Bayesian testing. These results are corroborated with an out-of-sample forecasting analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide empirical evidence regarding the comparison of the value of the Early Warning System and Risk-Based Capital in measuring the financial performance of insurance companies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Early Warning System measurement indicator uses the claim expense ratio. Sampling using purposive sampling method and obtained a sample of 18 insurance companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the period 2017-2022. The type of data used is secondary data in the form of financial reports collected through the company's official website and the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The data analysis method uses non-parametric statistics, namely the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test with the help of SPSS version 27. The results prove that there is a significant increase in the value of the Early Warning System during the pandemic compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Risk-Based Capital value did not experience a significant decrease during the pandemic compared to before the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, in this study, the Early Warning System is considered more accurate than Risk-Based Capital because it has a smaller standard error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen increasing initiatives involving more applications of real options to value the strategizing process. These initiatives, referred to as Real Option Theory (ROT), imply greater inclusiveness of simple and advanced real options in strategizing processes. While substantial theoretical groundwork on ROT has been laid in corporate finance, and both qualitative and quantitative studies on ROT in business management journals are appearing on an increasing basis, there remain significant opportunities for more research on strategic synergism in patent-based acquisitions. In this vein, the current paper aims to explore a rainbow real options application (real options that are exposed to two sources of uncertainty) to measure patent-based collaborative synergies in high-tech mergers and acquisitions. Having conducted the deviant case study of ZOOX start-up's acquisition by Amazon.com in 2020, this paper justifies the proposition of the employability of rainbow real options for the valuation of network and relational synergies in highly risky patent-based acquisitions with multiple uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper evaluates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on firm performance along with other corporate finance variables. As expected, Covid-19 had a negative impact on firm’s performance, especially on small firms with pronounced leverage. The paper also highlights that firms with higher cash holdings were resilient in the face of the pandemic. Manufacturing firms were the worst hit as their tasks could not be executed remotely; supply chain of raw materials was severely disrupted. Another sector that bore the brunt was travelling and hospitality, where tasks cannot be digitized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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By providing important indicators, financial indices help investors make educated judgements regarding their assets, much like vital sign monitors for the financial markets. The best way for investors to keep up with the market and make strategic adjustments is to keep an eye on these indexes. Researching the most important financial indexes for making educated investing decisions is, thus, quite relevant. Finding the most essential financial indices from an investing standpoint and assigning a weight to each of those indexes are the main goals of this research. A weighted score is derived by combining four financial indices in a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) technique. These objectives are then pursued. Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFNs) and the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) are used to determine the weights of criteria in this technique. Using these methods together, the research hopes to provide a thorough analysis of the role that different financial indexes have in informing investment choices. This study emphasizes the paramount importance of considering the Price Earning to Growth (PEG) ratio when making investment decisions, followed by the Debt Equity Ratio. Price to Book Value and Dividend Yield, while relevant, carry comparatively less weightage in the overall assessment. Investors are advised to use these insights as a guideline in their financial analysis and decision-making processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed pesticide contamination in beeswax, explicitly focusing on detecting Amitraz using innovative spectroscopy quantification. Beeswax's susceptibility to pesticides poses risks to colony health, prompting the need for efficient detection methods. Current offline techniques, notably gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), are accurate but financially burdensome. Honeybees' significance as global pollinators underscores the need to protect colonies from pesticides. Colony collapse disorder, triggered by pesticide exposure, is a widespread threat. This study proposes a cost-effective spectroscopy method for online hive monitoring, addressing gaps in existing identification methods. A systematic laboratory approach assessed the pesticide detection limit, targeting Amitraz in beeswax through online point spectroscopy and leveraging the short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral range enhanced sensitivity to pesticide-induced color changes. The model, combining methods, proved reliable for estimating amitraz contamination, significantly exceeding one ppm, using Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) sensors. Statistical analysis included. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the AIW/BIW ratio in identifying amitraz concentrations above 1 ppm, particularly in the SWIR spectral range. Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between the AIW/BIW ratio and Amitraz concentrations, with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.9976. The proposed model, integrating methods, emerges as a dependable means for estimating amitraz contamination in beeswax, especially at concentrations exceeding 1 ppm, as validated through ASD sensors. Comparative analysis highlights the financial constraints associated with GC-MS and the impracticality of FTIR for online hive monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestically listed Chinese (A‐share) firms have lower stock returns than externally listed Chinese, developed, and emerging country firms during 2000 to 2018. They also have lower net cash flows than matched unlisted Chinese firms. The underperformance of both stock and accounting returns is more pronounced for large A‐share firms, while small firms show no underperformance along either dimension. Investor sentiment explains low stock returns in the cross‐country and within‐A‐share samples. Institutional deficiencies in listing and delisting processes and weak corporate governance in terms of shareholder value creation are consistent with the underperformance in stock returns and net cash flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a tractable model of dynamic investment, spinoffs, financing, and risk management for a multidivision firm facing costly external finance. Our analysis formalizes the following insights: (i) Within‐firm resource allocation is based not only on divisions' productivity, as in winner‐picking models, but also their risk; (ii) firms may voluntarily spin off productive divisions to increase liquidity; (iii) diversification can reduce firm value in low‐liquidity states, as it increases the spinoff cost and hampers liquidity management; (iv) corporate socialism makes liquidity less valuable; and (v) division investment is determined by the ratio between marginal q$q$ and marginal value of cash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop a model in which a firm's manager can voluntarily disclose to privately informed investors. In equilibrium, the manager only discloses sufficiently favorable news. If the manager is known to be informed but disclosure is costly, the probability of disclosure increases with market liquidity and the stock trades at a discount relative to expected cash flows. However, when investors are uncertain about whether the manager is informed, disclosure can decrease with market liquidity and the stock can trade at a premium relative to expected cash flows. Moreover, contrary to common intuition, public information can crowd in more voluntary disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the extent to which credit index (CDX) options are priced consistent with S&P 500 (SPX) equity index options. We derive analytical expressions for CDX and SPX options within a structural credit‐risk model with stochastic volatility and jumps using new results for pricing compound options via multivariate affine transform analysis. The model captures many aspects of the joint dynamics of CDX and SPX options. However, it cannot reconcile the relative levels of option prices, suggesting that credit and equity markets are not fully integrated. A strategy of selling CDX volatility yields significantly higher excess returns than selling SPX volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public–private partnership (PPP) is a prominent tool for sustainable infrastructure development. However, the positive contributions of PPPs toward the attainment of sustainable, climate resilience and zero-carbon infrastructure projects are hampered by poor financial risk management. This problem is more prevalent in developing countries like Ghana where private investment inflow has plummeted due to the COVID-19 recession and poor project performance. Thus, this study aims to assess the key financial risk management strategies in ensuring sustainable PPP infrastructure projects in Ghana. The study utilised primary data from PPP practitioners in Ghana solicited through survey questionnaires. Factor analysis, mean scores and fuzzy synthetic analysis are the data analysis techniques for this study. The results revealed that sustainable and green funding models, effective cost-reduction initiatives, a competent team with committed leadership and emerging technologies and regulations constitute the key strategies for managing the financial risks of sustainable PPP infrastructure projects. Although future studies must expand the scope of data gathering, the findings of the study enrich the theoretical understanding of financial risks in sustainable investments in PPP infrastructures. Relevant remedies that will aid the development of practical financial risk management guidelines are also provided in this study for PPP practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study analyzes the impact of free cash flow and state ownership on the Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC) in the Brazilian capital market. Method: A sample of 210 companies from 2011 to 2019 was obtained from the Economatica database, with the Earnings Response Coefficient being the dependent variable, free cash flow and state control being the main independent variables, in addition to control variables, which were analyzed using panel data regression with the Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (POLS) method. Results: The results show that free cash flow accounting information has relevant marginal implications on the earning response coefficient and state ownership. The interaction between free cash flow and state ownership reinforces that increases in unexpected earnings are due to the presence of these two elements. Contributions: The findings contribute to the literature on emerging markets by reporting that free cash flow (accounting data) and state monitoring (governance aspect) are informative items for the earnings response coefficient. Consequently, this can improve investors' financial analysis and company evaluation process and make managers pay attention to the effects of the decision to maintain cash surpluses. Therefore, it allows these stakeholders to understand that the existence of available resources (free cash flow) in a business indicates prospects of future earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study provides insights on how activist hedge funds perform valuation analyses of target firms. Relevant data was hand‐collected from a sample of activist hedge fund presentations. Based on the hedge funds' valuation analyses, the undervaluation of the target firms amounts to approximately 30%, compared to the targets' current share price. Besides, activist investors derive a value enhancement potential from their proposed strategies of approximately 70% to the targets' current share price. These valuation results rely predominately on trading multiples. The dominant multiples are Enterprise value/EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) and Price/Earnings (P/E). Further, applied multiples are mainly forward‐looking, and the predicted performance measures are primarily consensus estimates. Besides, hedge funds sometimes adjust multiples arbitrarily to increase the comparability. Our results confirm that short‐term investors rely predominately on pricing analyses in their valuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to post-listing dividend initiations, the corporate finance literature offers limited coverage of pre-IPO dividends. The present inquiry assesses IPOs in Hong Kong where both pre-listing dividend distributions and IPO vendor sales occur with regularity. As a means of distributing cash to controllers, pre-IPO dividends potentially offer an exit route for insiders without the need for a conspicuous vendor sale at IPO. This study extends the limited evidence on the "Pre-IPO Dividend puzzle" (Martin and Zeckhauser 2010) and the information signaling role of prelisting cash distributions (Wang et al. 2023) in two important ways. First, unlike the mainland PRC, where regulatory proscriptions discourage secondary offers, vendor sales occur often in Hong Kong. Second, in contrast to the US, mainland PRC, and most other jurisdictions, Hong Kong's tax environment neither encourages nor discourages dividends relative to capital gains. For individual investors, the Hong Kong SAR Government imposes a zero rate of tax on both stock income and capital gains. Most issuers in the Hong Kong market during the study period demonstrated a significant record of pre-IPO profits. Accordingly, the incidence of cash payouts is at a high rate relative to rates evident in other major IPO locales. Hong Kong therefore provides a novel setting for investigation of pre-IPO dividend behavior. Present study findings suggest that pre-IPO cash distributions do not substitute for IPO vendor sales. Post-listing cash distributions also exhibit little to no association with vendor sales. However, ex-ante uncertainty, as proxied by offer price range, bears positive correlation with the frequency of post-listing dividend omissions. Finally, issuers distributing cash pre-IPO demonstrate greater frequency of pay-outs post-IPO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether proxied by the amount raised or the probability that this amount exceeds the soft cap, the factors driving the fundraising success of token offerings have changed considerably over the past 4 years. Possible factors include target market capitalization for the token, genuine signals of the venture's public credibility, price and momentum of ether, domicile of the venture and distribution of the token. There is a large previous literature on this topic, rooted in the entrepreneurial finance and crowdfunding literature, with numerous hypotheses based on signalling theory in its broadest sense. But due to substantial differences in samples, which end before 2020, the results are not only mixed but out of date. We have built the largest and most complete dataset on token offerings, spanning 2017 and 2022. The determinants of the amount raised were robust to different subsamples until the market virtually disappeared during the Covid pandemic. But it resumed in early 2021 and within 12 months had reached an all‐time high in terms of number if not market capitalization of new offerings. During this period the market changed completely, with success now depending mostly on the type of token offering and the choice of launchpad platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article empirically examines how political connections (PCs) affect a firm's media reaction after corporate fraud. Using data for Chinese listed companies from 2008 to 2021, we find that the media reports more positively for firms with PCs than for others that do not possess such advantages after the enforcement against fraud. The results are robust to a series of robustness checks and endogeneity corrections. When decomposing media reports, we find that PCs only facilitate positive media coverage but do not impede negative media coverage, which is more pronounced in state‐controlled media. This suggests that PCs protect firms' branding by facilitating positive media reports rather than withholding bad news. Moreover, we find this protective effect is more pronounced in firms with stronger PCs, weaker anti‐corruption regulation, lighter punishment for fraud, private ownership, and more donations. Further, the consequences analysis shows that this kind of protective effect significantly increases the probability of future fraud and stock price crashes. Our findings present a new perspective on the role of PCs and provide evidence for political bias in media coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work is to analyze, through the payment of dividends from companies in the electricity sector in Brazil, the United States and Germany, the possible influence of their respective tax legislation on dividend policy and also on the price of assets. Methodology: data on dividend payments and daily value of shares of companies in the electricity sector in Brazil, the United States and Germany, respectively traded on the São Paulo, New York and Frankfurt stock exchanges, were collected. The period was covered from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2022. Results: Brazilian companies in the electricity sector pay more dividends than companies in the same sector listed on the New York and Frankfurt stock exchanges. The share price is negatively influenced by dividends in companies in the United States and Germany, but there was no correlation between changes in asset prices and dividend payments in the case of Brazil.

Firms’ decisions are not independent of their peers. This study aims to assess the impact of peer pressure on firms’ dividend policy. In a sample of 29 firms from 2014–2020, this study employed a fixed effect regression model and revealed that Bangladeshi firms adjusted their dividend policy in response to their peers. Firms adjust the dividend payout ratio (DPR) by 5.6 percent as a response to their peers. Social learning theory, reputation-based model of peer influence, persuasion bias and rivalry-based theory of mimicking explain how peer influence affects a firm’s dividend policy. The findings of positive peer effects on dividend policy are robust to an alternative proxy of dividend policy – dividend yield. Therefore, the study implied that managers’ decisions regarding the dividend policy are not independent of their peer firms. Investors can adjust their expectations of a firm’s dividend policy based on the overall dividend policy in the industry.

The purpose of this study is to examine how private equity firms can increase the EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) of their portfolio companies through IT cost reduction strategies. A collective case study approach was used along with quantitative data collection schemes. The collective case study provided the advantage of making comparisons across various companies through replication. The quantitative research design allowed for the collection of quantitative data focusing on the performance of the three firms, namely Vista Equity Partners, the Blackstone Group Inc. and CVC Capital Partners. Five key measures were applied, i.e., margin expansion, capital expenditure (CAPEX), capital efficiency, working capital efficiency and mean adjusted change. The IT cost reduction strategies serve as value creation schemes that accentuate the EBITDA in the divestment context of private equity firms. The strategies reduce and eliminate waste, with a primary focus on optimizing being IT costs.

The U.S. government uses its voting power to direct IMF loans to countries where U.S. banks are exposed to sovereign default (a de facto bailout). This effect is stronger in years when the costs of direct bailouts are higher and is also found among major European IMF members. We find that de facto bailouts reduce government incentives to default and that U.S. Congressional voting on IMF funding is consistent with a private interest view of government. Overall, we identify an alternative mechanism through which governments can backstop the losses of large multinational banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandatory disclosure of CEO compensation peers signals potential outside opportunities for the cited CEOs by revealing which companies view them as viable executive candidates. CEOs cited often as compensation peers (especially by larger firms, which represent attractive employment opportunities) are more likely to leave for better positions or receive compensation increases. Equity-based awards following cites by larger firms have shorter vesting periods, suggesting these CEOs gain negotiating power relative to their boards. The disclosure requirement enhanced labor market transparency and led to higher compensation for highly cited CEOs without penalizing less cited CEOs, putting upward pressure on CEO compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates that low bank capital carries a negative externality because it amplifies local shock spillovers. We exploit a natural disaster that is transmitted to firms in nondisaster areas via their banks. Firms connected to a strongly disaster-exposed bank with lowest-quartile capitalization significantly reduce their total borrowing by 6.6% and tangible assets by 6.9% compared to similar firms connected to a well-capitalized bank. These findings translate to negative regional effects on GDP and unemployment. Additionally, following a disaster event, banks reduce their exposure to currently unaffected but generally disaster-prone areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate credit ratings are important for both investors and regulators. We demonstrate that the market for credit risk provides an important source of discipline for credit rating agencies (CRAs). We examine a model in which a CRA's rating is followed by a market for credit risk that provides a public signal – the price. More informative trading increases the CRA's incentives to be accurate by making rating errors more transparent. We show that this source of discipline is (a) robust to moral hazard, multiple CRAs, and connected primary and secondary markets and (b) specific to the market for credit risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher country taxes on noxious manufacturing emissions lead to substantial increases in firms' R&D spending. The R&D response is entirely driven by those high-pollution firms most affected by emissions taxes. Pollution taxes increase the marginal value of R&D spending in polluting firms, even when this spending does not lead to new innovation. Pollution taxes have the strongest effect on R&D investment in sectors in which new invention is difficult to appropriate and outside knowledge is easier to acquire, suggesting an important reason dirty firms invest in R&D is to expand their capacity to absorb external knowledge and technical know-how. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acquiring innovation through M&A is subject to information frictions, as assessing the value of innovative targets is a challenging task. We find an inverted U-shaped relation between firm innovation and takeover exposure; equity usage increases with target innovation; and the deal completion rate drops with innovation. We develop and estimate a model of acquiring innovation under information frictions, featuring endogenous merger, innovation, and offer composition decisions. Our estimates suggest that acquirers' due diligence reveals only 30 |$\%$| of private information possessed by targets. Eliminating information frictions increases capitalized merger gains by 59 |$\%$|⁠ , stimulates innovation, and boosts productivity, business dynamism, and social welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two intermediary-based factors—a corporate bond dealer inventory measure and a broad intermediary distress measure—explain more than 40 |$\%$| of the puzzling common variation in credit spread changes beyond canonical structural factors. A simple intermediary-based model with partial market segmentation accounts for intermediary factors' explanatory power and delivers three further implications with empirical support. First, whereas bond sorts on risk-related variables produce monotonic loading patterns on intermediary factors, non-risk-related sorts produce no pattern. Second, dealer inventory comoves with corporate-credit assets only, whereas intermediary distress comoves with both corporate-credit and non-corporate-credit assets. Third, dealers' inventory responds to (instrumented) bond sales by institutional investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]