We study the effect of credit default swap (CDS) on the corporate bond market. We argue that CDS, by reducing the need of investors to liquidate the bonds in the face of credit deterioration of the issuer, reduces fire sale risk and provides bond liquidity. Given that bond investors are...

We examine whether investor behavior can be influenced by the social norms to which they are exposed. Specifically, we test two competing hypotheses regarding the influence of social trust on the disposition effect related to mutual fund investment. On the one hand, a higher level of social...

We study how secular culture affects firm behavior when formal institutions fall short. We find that firms more exposed to alcohol-related sin culture exhibit more earnings management and lean their operations more toward local business partners. Tests using latitude and snow/temperature as...

We exploit the merger between BlackRock and Barclays Global Investors to study how changes in expected ownership concentration affect the investment behavior of funds and the cross-section of stocks worldwide. We find that funds with open-end structures and a large exposure to commonly-held...

We investigate the impact of the absence of short selling on the pricing of managerial skills in the mutual fund industry. In the presence of divergent opinions regarding managerial skills, fund managers can strategically use fees to attract only the most optimistic capital. The recognition of...

We investigate an informal yet important mechanism in the private equity industry that helps to reduce uncertainty: relationship building. Based on a large sample of private equity funds over the 1980-2010 period, we find that the general partners strategically allocate good funds to loyal...

When companies raise equity finance they have to make two choices: the issuing method (cash versus rights) and, when they choose the rights issue method, whether rights should be traded or not. We study these choices using a sample of 15,751 rights issues and 22,016 cash offers announced during...

We propose that the presence of short-term investors, such as short sellers, does not necessarily enhance short-termism. On the contrary, based on a sample of 11,969 firms across 33 countries over the 2003-2009 period, we observe that the threat of short selling increases long-term (i.e., R&D)...

We propose that the presence of short-term investors, such as short sellers, does not necessarily enhance short-termism. On the contrary, based on a sample of 11,969 firms across 33 countries over the 2003-2009 period, we observe that the threat of short selling increases long-term (i.e., R&D)...

The rise of social media has encouraged guru dreams because of the low entry barrier and highly skewed distribution of public attention that characterize social media. The pursuit of guru status, however, may be achieved through information provision or cheap talk, and competition inherent to...