We develop a model linking stock ownership and returns to the distribution of private information and quality of public information. Supporting the model, we find that the firm's information environment affects investors' propensity to hold and trade its stocks, but its effects hinge on...

We propose an Institutional Presence (IP) measure to capture the latent role of non-owner institutional investors who nevertheless may be observing a firm. We employ this measure to examine whether the ‘presence' of institutional investors reduces information asymmetry in the market. Firms in...

Institutional investors located in cities with social norms friendlier towards the environment (“green” cities) are sensitive to corporate environmental practices. Their portfolios are tilted away from stocks exhibiting negative environmental practices, particularly those headquartered in...

Does physical proximity to monitoring capital affect the firm's IPO decision? Using a geographic framework, we measure the amount of monitoring capital of equity investors and banks in each U.S. region. When regional equity capital is abundant, collateral-poor resident firms are more likely to...