We find a positive relation between returns and Book-to Market ratio (BE/ME) and a negative relation between returns and Market Value (MVE) in all the countries we study. The BE/ME and MVE "effects" are international in character and remain strong under a general stochastic pricing function that...

This paper investigates a market-valuation-based hypothesis for employee stock options (ESOs). It examines how market valuation has affected the decision to grant ESOs, the amount of options granted, and the distribution of options among executives and rankand- file employees. I find strong...

This paper uses a market valuation model to explore why firms grant employee stock options. When insider managers and outside investors have different opinions about the future prospects of the firm, employee stock options can be used to capture future investor overvaluation and to save employee...

Initial public offerings, even though risky, typically underperform the indices for the first few years after offering. This can be explained by high divergence of opinion raising the initial market price, and by this divergence of opinion declining over time. With time, the valuation of the...