This prelude introduces the first symposium of this journal devoted to the structure, conduct, and performance of principal-agent models in a broad view. Five papers, exemplifying recent developments and targeting readers of interdisciplinary interest, are summarized.

Both real and financial variables are integrated into a model of oligopolistic firms that allows for mergers. Limited liability provides the basis for financing mergers by means of debt. This shifts risk to credit holders in bad states of nature. In general, it is found that when the credit...

In this paper, we analyze the interaction between an incumbent's financial contract with a bank and its product market decisions in the face of a threat of entry, in a dynamic model with asymmetric information. The main results of the paper are: there exists a separating equilibrium with no...

This paper examines the incentive and efficiency implications of buyer brokerage. We explore an alternative compensation system for buyer brokerage. Under this system the total commission is independent of the transaction price, and the listing broker receives a percentage of the selling price...

Theory predicts that since a firm with market power has more stable cash flows because of its ability to set prices in the product market, its stock price is less sensitive to order flow (Peress, 2010), which results in greater stock liquidity. We test this prediction on a large sample of firms...

The U.S. Bankruptcy code changed dramatically with the passage of The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act Of 2005. This act increased the costs and decreased the benefits of bankruptcy to consumers. Supporters of the law claimed that it would benefit consumers as well as...

We assess the impact of spam that touts stocks upon the trading activity of those stocks and sketch how profitable such spamming might be for spammers and how harmful it is to those who heed advice in stock-touting e-mails. We find convincing evidence that stock prices are being manipulated...

The paper analyzes the effect of competition between credit rating agencies (CRAs) on the information content of ratings. We show that a monopolistic CRA pools sellers into multiple rating classes and has partial market coverage. This provides an opportunity for market entry. The entrant designs...