Pre-and-aftermarket IPO underpricing: Does use of proceeds disclosure matter?

Abstract

Exploiting a unique regulatory framework for IPO pricing in India, which allows us to estimate voluntary and aftermarket underpricing, we answer whether specific use of proceeds explains underpricing in the pre- and aftermarket. Our main findings are as follows. First, we document that disclosure of specific use of proceeds increases actual voluntary underpricing (i.e., offer price being lower) in the premarket and lowers aftermarket underpricing (i.e., the first-day closing price is lower). Second, the premarket effect is pronounced for firms with greater information asymmetry, whereas the aftermarket effect is pronounced for firms with higher investor sentiment. Our core findings are robust to tests that mitigate endogeneity concerns. Collectively, we show that disclosure impacts underpricing differently in the pre- and aftermarket.