Investors globally prefer dividend-paying stocks over non-dividend-paying stocks more in declining than in advancing markets, even accounting for firm-level growth opportunities, size and risk effects. Dividend paying stocks outperform non-dividend paying stocks, from 0.63% (China) to 3.79%...

The notion of empty voting, or borrowing shares of stock in order to vote without an equivalent economic interest, has captured the attention of both the financial press and financial researchers. We investigate the securities lending market around proxy record dates for evidence of proxy abuse....