Ktisis Community: Σχολή Διοίκησης και Οικονομίας/Faculty of Management and Economics

Cross-listing and operating performance: evidence from exchange-listed American depositary receipts

Title: Cross-listing and operating performance: evidence from exchange-listed American depositary receipts

Authors: Louca, Christodoulos; Charitou, Andreas

Abstract: In this paper we examine the operating performance of non-US firms that enter major US stock exchanges using American Depositary Receipt (ADR) programs. Our dataset consists of 108 capital-raising and non-capital-raising firms from twenty four countries, cross-listed on major US stock exchanges during the period 1994-2004. We provide evidence that capital-raising cross-listed firms experience improvements in their operating performance after the listing, relative to a non-cross-listed matched sample of firms and relative to the pre-listing period, whereas non-capital-raising cross-listed firms out-perform a non-cross-listed matched sample of firms for both the pre-listing and the post-listing periods. These results suggest that the type of ADR program conveys information about changes in the post-listing operating performance. Moreover, both capital-raising and non-capital-raising cross-listed firms have positive abnormal returns due to the cross-listing and these abnormal returns are positively related with the post-listing abnormal changes in operating performance, suggesting that the market anticipates the post-listing abnormal changes in operating performance. Results are robust after adjusting for various firm and country risk characteristics.

European option pricing by using the support vector regression approach

Title: European option pricing by using the support vector regression approach

Authors: Andreou, Panayiotis; Charalambous, Chris; Martzoukos, Spiros H.

Abstract: We explore the pricing performance of Support Vector Regression for pricing SandP 500 index call options. Support Vector Regression is a novel nonparametric methodology that has been developed in the context of statistical learning theory, and until now it has not been widely used in financial econometric applications. This new method is compared with the Black and Scholes (1973) option pricing model, using standard implied parameters and parameters derived via the Deterministic Volatility Functions approach. The empirical analysis has shown promising results for the Support Vector Regression models.

The effect of past earnings and dividend patterns on the information content of dividends when earnings are reduced

Title: The effect of past earnings and dividend patterns on the information content of dividends when earnings are reduced

Authors: Lambertides, Neophytos; Charitou, Andreas G.; Theodoulou, Giorgos Fr.

Abstract: This study pursues two objectives: first, to provide evidence on the information content of dividend policy, conditional on past earnings and dividend patterns prior to an annual earnings decline; second, to examine the effect of the magnitude of low earnings realizations on dividend policy when firms have more-or-less established dividend payouts. The information content of dividend policy for firms that incur earnings reductions following long patterns of positive earnings and dividends has been examined (DeAngelo et al., 1992, 1996; Charitou, 2000). No research has examined the association between the informativeness of dividend policy changes in the event of an earnings drop, relative to varying patterns of past earnings and dividends. Our dataset consists of 4,873 U.S. firm-year observations over the period 1986-2005. Our evidence supports the hypotheses that, among earnings-reducing or loss firms, longer patterns of past earnings and dividends: (a) strengthen the information conveyed by dividends regarding future earnings, and (b) enhance the role of the magnitude of low earnings realizations in explaining dividend policy decisions, in that earnings hold more information content that explains the likelihood of dividend cuts the longer the past earnings and dividend patterns. Both results stem from the stylized facts that managers aim to maintain consistency with respect to historic payout policy, being reluctant to proceed with dividend reductions, and that this reluctance is higher the more established is the historic payout policy. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation

Ownership structure and operating performance: evidence from the european maritime industry

Title: Ownership structure and operating performance: evidence from the european maritime industry

Authors: Lambertides, Neophytos; Louca, Christodoulos

Abstract: In this paper we examine the relation between ownership structure and operating performance for European maritime firms. Using a sample of 266 firm-year observations, during the period 2002-2004, we provide evidence that operating performance is positively related with foreign held shares and investment corporation held shares, indicating better investor protection from managerial opportunism. We also find no relation between operating performance and employee held shares, suggesting no relation between employee commitment and firms' economic performance. Furthermore, we find no relation between operating performance and government held shares, indicating that government may not adequately protect shareholders' interests from managerial opportunism. Finally, we do find a positive relation between operating performance and portfolio held shares for code law maritime firms but not for common law maritime firms. Results are robust after adjusting for various firm and country risk characteristics. Overall, our results on the importance of the ownership structure are new to this setting and add to a large body of evidence linking ownership characteristics to corporate performance