The Price of Being Foreign: Stock Market Penalties Associated With Accounting Irregularities for U.S.-Listed Foreign Firms

Posted: 24 Jun 2019

See all articles by Weili Ge

Weili Ge

University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business

Dawn A. Matsumoto

University of Washington - Department of Accounting

Emily Jing Wang

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) - Department of Accounting

Jenny Li Zhang

University of British Columbia - Sauder School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 7, 2019

Abstract

We examine the stock market consequences of disclosing accounting irregularities for U.S.-listed foreign firms. After controlling for the severity of the irregularity and other firm characteristics, we find that foreign firms experience significantly more negative short-window stock market reactions following irregularity announcements than do U.S. firms. Moreover, for a subsample of 64 irregularities of foreign firms that are listed on both a U.S. and home country stock exchange, we find evidence that restating firms’ U.S. investors react more negatively to the same irregularity than their home-country investors. This differential market reaction appears related to firm-specific information risks that are greater for foreign firms than U.S. firms. Collectively, consistent with the reputational bonding hypothesis in prior literature, our results suggest that accounting irregularities cause U.S. investors to reassess the information risk associated with foreign firms.

Keywords: Restatement, Irregularity, Legal Bonding, Information Risk, Reputational Bonding

JEL Classification: M41

Suggested Citation

Ge, Weili and Matsumoto, Dawn and Wang, Emily and Zhang, Jenny Li, The Price of Being Foreign: Stock Market Penalties Associated With Accounting Irregularities for U.S.-Listed Foreign Firms (May 7, 2019). Contemporary Accounting Research, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3406112

Weili Ge

University of Washington - Michael G. Foster School of Business ( email )

Box 353200
Seattle, WA 98195-3200
United States

Dawn Matsumoto

University of Washington - Department of Accounting ( email )

224 Mackenzie Hall, Box 353200
Seattle, WA 98195-3200
United States
206-543-4454 (Phone)
206-685-9392 (Fax)

Emily Wang

Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) - Department of Accounting ( email )

Clear Water Bay
Kowloon
Hong Kong

Jenny Li Zhang (Contact Author)

University of British Columbia - Sauder School of Business ( email )

2053 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Canada

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
821
PlumX Metrics