Tests using American data from 1970 to 2015 support the behavioral hypothesis that firms Cater to investor whims. We show that the standard tests cannot distinguish between the behavioral interpretation, and a rational model in which the firm optimally chooses investment, equity issuance, and...

Optimal investment of firms implies that expected stock returns are tied with the expected marginal benefit of investment divided by the marginal cost of investment. Winners have higher expected growth and expected marginal productivity (two major components of the marginal benefit of...

We offer an investment-based interpretation of price and earnings momentum. The neoclassical theory of investment implies that expected stock returns are tied with the expected marginal benefit of investment divided by the marginal cost of investment. Winners have higher expected growth and...

We examine how a firm's operational slack is associated with current income and future stock price crash risk. By doing so, we test the validity of a firm's alternative motivations for holding operational slack. We show that Supply Chain Slack, which is based on excess working capital, is...

We examine the influence of investor conferences on firms' stock liquidity. We find that firms participating in conferences experience a 1.4% to 2.8% increase in stock liquidity compared to non-conference firms. Consistent with investor conferences improving firm visibility, the increase in...

We provide evidence that increased reporting frequency enhances the extent to which stock prices guide managers' investment decisions. Using a generalized difference-in-differences research design, we find the sensitivity of investment to stock price increased for Mandatory Adopters following an...

This paper provides evidence that a firm's stock price movements affect its customer demand. I develop a model in which customers learn about a firm's product quality partially from its stock price. This learning induces feedback from the price to customer demand. Furthermore, the firm manager...

We examine the real effects of stock market efficiency by analyzing how noise in stock prices affects the efficiency of capital allocation. Using data from 42 countries and a long time-series, we find that the efficiency of capital allocation across firms (the sensitivity of corporate investment...