Several recent studies have found that earnings inequality in Canada has grown considerably since the late 1970’s. Using an extraordinary data base drawn from longitudinal income tax records, we decompose this growth in earnings inequality into its persistent and transitory components. We find that the growth in earnings inequality reflects both an increase in long-run inequality and an increas...

In this study, I investigate whether market learning explains the absence of the accrual anomaly in recent years by examining three conditions associated with the presence of the anomaly in prior research: (i) a differential relation between future earnings and cash flows versus accruals, (ii) incorrect weighting of cash flows and accruals by investors when predicting earnings, and (iii) associ...

This paper looks at longitudinal aspects of changes in Italian male earnings inequality since the late 1970s by decomposing the earnings autocovariance structure into its persistent and transitory parts. Cross-sectional earnings differentials are found to grow over the period. The longitudinal analysis shows that such growth is determined by the permanent earnings component and is due both to a...

different levels of predisclosure information production and dissemination. Empirical evidence supports this size-related information Accordingly, because information search activities yield higher expected hypothesis. The magnitude of abnormal returns associated trading profits for larger firms, prices are “more informative” for larger with both good and bad earnings information has been shown...

We examine whether the previously documented pricing premium for firms’ equity when they meet or beat earnings expectations (MBE) is attributable to a reduction in the cost of equity capital via a reduction in information asymmetry. We measure the latter using the probability of informed trading (PIN) from Easley et al. (1997). We find that PIN decreases (increases) when firms meet or beat (mis...

The concerns regarding the economic insecurity stemming from earnings instability have been gaining momentum in the contemporary political discourse. If earnings instability is as a proxy for risk, for risk-averse individuals, increasing earnings instability bears substantial welfare costs. Using the variance of transitory earnings estimated using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) a...

We investigate whether firms “lean against the wind”, i.e., manage earnings upward to offset aggregate (market wide) undervaluation, by examining how firm-specific measures of earnings management correlate with aggregate market conditions. Leaning against the wind has been proposed by prior research as a behavioral explanation for a negative contemporaneous relation and a positive predictive re...

The purpose of this paper is to better understand how financial markets use depreciation information that appears in the financial statements . When computing depreciation expense, a firm has discretion in its choice of depreciation method and this choice can impact the amount of depreciation expense and therefore reported earnings. Ceteris paribus, we claim that a firm which reports a low depr...

the aim of this study is to determine the effect of the income smoothing on the future earnings response coefficient taking into account the effect of the information environment. future earnings response coefficient is used as a measure for evaluation of stock price information content which represents the relationship between current stock returns and future earnings. information environment ...

I examine the impact of management cash flow forecasts on investors and analysts. The news in management cash flow forecasts is priced beyond total earnings news. Analysts revise earnings forecasts more for the news in these forecasts than for the news in accruals. I further find that the market’s higher pricing of cash flow forecast news is greater for firms 1) with bad earnings news, 2) in fi...