Auditors' incentives to be conservative are likely to vary both cross-sectionally and over time based on their legal liability exposure. We predict that Big Eight (Six/Five) auditors are likely to be more conservative than non-Big Eight Auditors. We show that the earnings reported by Big Eight...

This study empirically evaluates the impact of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) and the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 upon the (equity) risk of the largest US firms, the backbone of the US economy. Drawing from the literature, hypotheses are developed and empirically...