We show that merger announcement returns account for virtually all of the measured size premium. An empirical proxy for ex ante takeover exposure positively and robustly relates to cross-sectional expected returns. The relation between size and expected returns becomes positive or insignificant,...

We examine the IPOs of and acquisitions made by all-cash firms. This unique sample of firms provides a perspective unencumbered by much of the confounding information typically surrounding these corporate events. We find IPO gross spreads of 7% -- similar to the spreads in more complex IPO...

This Article tells the story of a new type of business — the special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). The promoters of a SPAC begin by forming a shell corporation with no assets. They then take the company public on little more than a promise that they will strive to complete the...

Protective governance structure is often viewed as costly to minority shareholders who bear the costs of opportunism by entrenched managers. A less common view is that protective governance structures encourage value-enhancing initiative, allowing risk-averse managers to pursue projects they...

We examine relationships between firms and their investment banks (IBs), both within and across different IB functions. For all transaction types, we find an increase in the number of relationships and a decrease in relationship exclusivity over time. We identify significant transaction-type...

We study shareholder returns for firms that acquired five or more public, private, and/or subsidiary targets within a short time period. Since the same bidder chooses different types of targets and methods of payment, any variation in returns must be due to the characteristics of the target and...

Protective governance structure is often viewed as costly to minority shareholders who bear the costs of opportunism by entrenched managers. A less common view is that protective governance encourages value-enhancing initiative, allowing risk-averse managers to pursue projects they would...