This paper investigates whether the initiation of trading in credit default swaps (CDSs) on a borrowing firm's outstanding debt is associated with a decline in that firm's reporting conservatism. CDS investments can modify lenders' payoffs on their loan portfolios by providing insurance on...

Lenders can transfer credit risk by purchasing credit default swaps (CDS), but holding swaps can diminish their incentives to monitor borrowers. Contracting theory predicts that lenders demand conservatism, in particular asymmetric timeliness of loss recognition, to effectively monitor...

Executive compensation influences managerial risk preferences through the executive's portfolio sensitivities to changes in stock prices (delta) and stock return volatility (vega). Large deltas discourage managerial risk-taking, while large vegas encourage risk-taking. Theory suggests that...

We investigate the effect of growth opportunities on a firm's choice of step-down performance sensitive debt (PSD) jointly with leverage and debt maturity. By explicitly linking the interest rate with the borrower's credit quality via interest-decreasing options, step-down PSD arguably...

We investigate if timely loss recognition is associated with acquisition-investment decisions. Using a Basu (1997) piece-wise linear regression model, we find that firms with more timely incorporation of economic losses into earnings make more profitable acquisitions, measured by the bidder's...

Extant theoretical research posits that information asymmetry and agency issues affect the cost of external financing and hence impact firms' ability to finance its growth opportunities. In contrast, the literature on disclosure policy posits that an expanded and credible disclosure lowers the...

Prior research has posited that market imperfections and the lack of institutions which protect investor interests create a divergence between the cost of internal and external funds, thereby constraining firms' ability to fund investment projects through external financing. One consequence of...

This paper investigates voluntary adoptions of International Accounting Standards (IAS) by private enterprises, and builds on prior research which posits that higher quality financial reports through IAS adoption can reduce information asymmetry and facilitate contracting with external parties....

We examine voluntary disclosure activities around actual share repurchases. We find that managers increase the percentage and magnitude of bad news announcements during the one-month period prior to repurchasing shares. We find weaker evidence that managers increase the percentage and magnitude...

Extant theoretical research posits that information asymmetry and agency issues affect the cost of external financing and hence impact firms' ability to finance its growth opportunities. In contrast, the literature on disclosure policy posits that an expanded and credible disclosure lowers the...