Large Sample Evidence on the Relation between Stock Option Compensation and Risk Taking

A distinctive feature of stock options is that they create incentives for managers to take risks. For a sample of 6,439 CEO-year observations over 1992-1999, we find that risk-taking incentives offered by CEO's stock options (the sensitivity of ESO values to stock return volatility) are statistically associated with greater risk-taking behavior as proxied by one-year ahead stock return volatility. However, the economic magnitude of such option-induced risk taking on the CEO's wealth is relatively modest. Our tests of the performance consequences of option-induced risk taking incentives are specification-dependent and do not exhibit consistent results. Hence, we cannot unambiguously conclude that the increased risk taking results in improved future operating performance