The Market Mispricing of Special Items and Accruals: One Anomaly or Two?

41 Pages Posted: 5 Jun 2005

See all articles by T. J. Atwood

T. J. Atwood

University of Arkansas - Department of Accounting

Hong Xie

University of Kentucky - Von Allmen School of Accountancy

Date Written: June 2, 2005

Abstract

We investigate whether the special items anomaly documented by Burgstahler, Jiambalvo and Shevlin (2002) is distinct from the accruals anomaly initially documented by Sloan (1996). We demonstrate that Burgstahler et al.'s special items anomaly, in essence, represents the market overpricing of special items and thus it shares the same form of market mispricing as the accruals anomaly. Moreover, we find that accruals and special items are strongly positively related. Various tests suggest that special items overpricing, to a large extent, depends on accruals overpricing and that the overpricing of special items is subsumed by the overpricing of accruals. However, we also find that special items affect the extent to which the market overprices accruals with negative special items aggravating and positive special items alleviating accruals overpricing.

Keywords: accruals, special items, mispricing, market anomalies

JEL Classification: G14, M41, M43

Suggested Citation

Atwood, T. J. and Xie, Hong, The Market Mispricing of Special Items and Accruals: One Anomaly or Two? (June 2, 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=734803 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.734803

T. J. Atwood

University of Arkansas - Department of Accounting ( email )

Business Bldg. 454
Fayetteville, AR 72701
United States

Hong Xie (Contact Author)

University of Kentucky - Von Allmen School of Accountancy ( email )

Lexington, KY 40506
United States
(859) 257-4648 (Phone)
(859) 257-3654 (Fax)

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

Paper statistics

Downloads
490
Abstract Views
2,430
Rank
106,648
PlumX Metrics