The Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) standard took effect in 2020 during the onset of the unprecedented global pandemic. Proponents of CECL argue that the regulation can provide timelier provisions, while others are concerned about the potential for heightened reported earnings volatility. In...

This article develops further results on earnings management and the cost of capital, which complement Strobl (Journal of Accounting Research, forth.). Within a simplified version of the model, I illustrate the existing linkage between earning management activities and firms' cost of capital,...

This paper examines the role of conservatism when an agent can manipulate upcoming earnings before all uncertainty is resolved. An increase in conservatism, by reducing the likelihood of favorable earnings, requires steeper performance pay to maintain the same level of incentives, which in turn...

Although researchers often view earnings management as being widespread, measuring the cost and level of earnings management is a non-trivial task. We derive a measure of earnings management cost and the associated equilibrium level of earnings management from the cross-sectional properties of...