Search Results
Journal Article
Assessing the condition of Japanese banks: how informative are accounting earnings?
This article examines the accounting and stock market performance of banks from 1991 to 1997. Overall, the results indicate that the accounting, disclosure, and regulatory practices of Japanese banks have drive a wedge between their accounting and stock market returns in recent years and, furthermore, that regulatory forbearance might have become a more important source of value to shareholders than the value of assets in place.
Working Paper
Does the Japanese stock market price bank risk? evidence from financial firm failures
The efficiency of Japanese stock market to appropriately price the riskiness of Japanese firms has been frequently questioned, particularly with respect to Japanese banks which have experienced severe financial distress in recent years. This paper examines the response in the stock market returns of Japanese commercial banks to the failure of four commercial banks and two securities firms between 1995 and 1998. The analysis finds that the stock market responded to new information of the failures and did so rationally. Financially weaker banks were affected more adversely by the failure of ...
Journal Article
Japan's corporate groups
Journal Article
How are small firms financed? Evidence from small business investment companies
This article examines the investment decisions of small business investment companies (SBICs). The results indicate that potential costs of contracting among SBICs, small firms, and others may have significant effects on how small firms are funded. For instance, projects generating tangible assets and firms operating in industries with few growth opportunities are more likely to be financed with debt than nondebt.
Working Paper
The security issue decision: evidence from small business investment companies
Using a unique transactions-level dataset, this paper examines the investment choices of small business investment companies (SBICs), which are private venture capital firms licensed and regulated by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBICs make debt and equity investments in small businesses, and we seek to explain their security choices. We focus on factors suggested by asymmetric information and contracting theories of security choice. Overall, our results are consistent with the predictions of contracting theory, although certain aspects of our results also support asymmetric ...
Journal Article
Labor market fluctuations in Japan and the U.S.--how similar are they?
This article examines the sources of fluctuations in Japanese and U.S. labor markets. Despite the differences in the structures of the two labor markets, the authors find that unemployment and vacancies respond similarly to aggregate shocks. However, different shocks appear to be important in explaining fluctuations in the two labor markets.