Impacts of FRS139 adoption on value relevance of financial reporting in Malaysia.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of Financial Reporting Standards (FRS)139 adoption on value relevance of financial reporting for non-financial public listed companies in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple regressions were applied in this study to explore the value relevance of financial reporting upon FRS139 adoption. Findings – The finding indicates that book value of equity and net income after tax are significant in jointly explaining the variations associated with market value for both the pre- and post-FRS139 period. However, the role of the book value of equity and the balance sheet in stock market valuation is becoming increasingly important compared with the role of net income after tax and income statement upon mandatory adoption of FRS139. Originality/value – This study provides relevant insights into the potential consequences of FRS139 adoption in Malaysia. This is a significant event in the history of financial reporting in Malaysia. Given the importance and complexity of applying IAS39 in more developed countries, the results of this study add to current literature by providing a comprehensive empirical analysis on the effects of FRS139 adoption on financial reporting in Malaysia, a developing country where the economy is smaller, the financial market less efficient, and institutional settings different from developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]