The Value Relevance of IFRS in the UAE Banking Industry: Empirical Evidence from Dubai Financial Market, 2008-2013

The objective of this paper is to examine the value relevance of accounting information for the banks listed in the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) for the period 2008 - 2013. Empirical tests are based on the return and the price models. Overall, the results show that accounting information is associated with market valuation. The earnings are positive and significantly related to stock prices and stock returns. Moreover results indicate that value relevance of accounting information has changed since 2008 which might raise the effect of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Finally, the explanatory power of earnings and equity book value are found to decrease during the recovery period 2011-2013.