Investments in publicly-listed U.S. stocks enhanced shareholder wealth by more than $55.1 trillion in aggregate during the 1926 to 2022 period, even while investments in the majority (58.6%) of the 28,114 individual stocks led to reduced rather than increased shareholder wealth. The degree to...

This study explores the investment behavior of underperforming chief executive officers (CEOs) on merger frequency and the effect on acquirers’ shareholder wealth of merger bids in U.S. industrial firms. We find that underperforming CEOs are more likely to make acquisitions, especially...