Using acquisition data from 2010-2018, we examine the impact of acquisitions by foreign SOEs on politically connected domestic U.S. competitors. We examine the initial response to such acquisition announcements, the attempts of industry incumbents to increase their own political connections, and...

This study investigates the effects of firm-level political risk on corporate investments and operating efficiencies for industrially diversified and focused firms. Using firm-level political risk data from Hassan et al.(2019), we document that both political risk and diversification lead to...

We document that firms without strong corporate cultures hold excess inventory to mitigate the operational risk compared to their peers with strong corporate cultures. Further analyses reveal that firms balance the costs and benefits of excess inventory holdings. Weak corporate culture values...

This paper examines whether firm-level political risk predicts compliance violation costs. We find a positive relationship between political risk and the likelihood, quantity, and magnitude of compliance violation fines and settlements. This relationship is robust to various cost measures and...

We examine the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on FDIC chartered banks’ performance. Our experimental design analyzes the performance of community banks and large banks before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community banks outperform large banks significantly in several key measures in the...

In this study, we examine the impact of class action litigation shocks on corporate innovation. Our experimental design is based on an unanticipated court ruling that reduces the risk of shareholder class action lawsuits for firms located within the jurisdiction of the US Ninth Circuit....

Stewardship theory suggests CEO duality can provide strong leadership and facilitate the development and coordination of firm strategy. These benefits should affect both firm risk and financial performance. We use the 2020 coronavirus outbreak as a natural experiment to determine whether CEO...

Using new data on S&P 1500 firms’ CEO-to-employee pay ratios disclosed by mandate of Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act, we examine the effect of within-firm pay inequality on bond yield spreads. We find a significant negative relation between industry-adjusted CEO-to-employee pay ratio and...

Analyzing a set of 200 cryptocurrencies over the period from 2015 to 2019, we document a significant return reversal effect that holds at the daily, weekly, and monthly rebalancing frequencies and is robust to controls for differences in size, turnover, and illiquidity. Moreover, the reversal...

We provide evidence that discretionary loan loss provisions (DLLP) convey value-relevant information to the market that is highly dependent upon the state of the economy. DLLP is associated with negative abnormal returns during bad economic states characterized by growing default concerns, but...