{"title":"Employee Skills Training, Inclusive Financial Development, and Corporate Human Capital Upgrading","authors":"Di Fan, Nazrul Hisyam Ab Razak, Wei Ni Soh","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.111033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.111033","url":null,"abstract":"Based on data from A-share listed companies from 2013 to 2023, this paper explores the relationship between employee skills training, inclusive financial development (IFD), and corporate human capital upgrading. The study finds that: employee skills training significantly promotes corporate human capital upgrading; IFD effectively facilitates corporate human capital upgrading; employee skills training plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between IFD and corporate human capital upgrading; the impact of employee skills training on corporate human capital upgrading exhibits heterogeneity between high-tech and non-high-tech enterprises; and the influence of IFD on corporate human capital upgrading shows regional heterogeneity across eastern, central, and western regions. The findings of this study provide important evidence for enterprises to formulate human capital strategies and for governments to optimize inclusive financial policies.","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"102 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149358866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Factor themes and the principal-component structure of factor momentum","authors":"Hyeonjun Kim, Doojin Ryu","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.111012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.111012","url":null,"abstract":"We decompose the standard factor-momentum portfolio into within-theme and across-theme rotation components. The within-theme component shows a better signal-to-noise ratio but a similar average return when compared with the across-theme component. Within-theme momentum earns marginally significant net returns after estimated transaction costs over the full sample period. Post-2015 evidence suggests that PC-factor momentum retains significant explanatory power for within-theme momentum.","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149358879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Systematic monetary policy and the spillover effects of fiscal policy","authors":"Yang Yang, Liqi Shen, Ren Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110988","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.110988","url":null,"abstract":"We study the role of systematic monetary policy in shaping international fiscal spillovers. Using a proxy SVAR estimated with data from 1973–2019, we identify fiscal shocks via defense investment instruments and apply the counterfactual methodology of McKay and Wolf (2023) to trace out spillovers under alternative monetary policy rules. We find that more aggressive stabilization policy—stronger responses to output gaps and inflation—dampens fiscal spillovers substantially, reducing the contribution of U.S. fiscal shocks to foreign inflation variance by over 20 percent. In contrast, when monetary policy responds to exchange rates, fiscal spillovers are amplified: foreign output gap and inflation rise by 28 and 15 percent, respectively. These results establish that the systematic component of monetary policy is a quantitatively important determinant of cross-border fiscal transmission.","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149292044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Uncertain Times, Strategic Moves: Corporate Hedging Responses to Political Sentiment","authors":"Gunratan Lonare, Sumit Tembhurne, Ahmet M. Tuncez","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.110984","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"119 1","pages":"110984"},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149241455","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Can the development of green finance effectively promote corporate green transformation?","authors":"Jingjing Lv, Tianlong Zhao, Junwei Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110986","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.110986","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"64 1","pages":"110986"},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149241457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Building Export Resilience via Standards Harmonization: The Role of Regional Financial Development","authors":"Zeshi Yang,Jiahao Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110951","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2026.110951","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"25 1","pages":"110951"},"PeriodicalIF":10.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149210543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enterprise Digitalization and New Quality Productive Forces: A Textual Analysis","authors":"YongZe Ma, HongLi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assesses the pivotal role of enterprise digitalization in fostering new quality productive forces (NQPFs). Using annual reports from Chinese listed firms from 2014 to 2023 and leveraging natural language processing techniques, we construct a firm-level digitalization. Results show that higher digitalization promotes the formation of NQPFs, and the effect is robust to various econometric strategies. The positive impact is more pronounced among firms with stronger human capital and those located in regions with supportive digital infrastructure. Mechanism tests indicate that digitalization facilitates resource reallocation efficiency, strengthens innovation output, and improves firms’ capability to integrate production factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 110272"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148183057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Intellectual Property Demonstration City Construction, Financial Innovation, and Corporate Governance","authors":"Pengyue Duan , Huihui Wang , Xiangjian Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110261","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.110261","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper uses panel data at the level of Chinese listed companies to empirically investigate the intrinsic relationship and interaction mechanisms among the construction of Intellectual Property Demonstration Cities (IPDC), financial innovation, and corporate governance. The results show that IPDC development significantly promotes the improvement of corporate governance among listed firms. Further analysis reveals that the promoting effect of IPDC on corporate governance varies significantly across corporations with different levels of cash flow levels. Financial innovation plays a key mediating role in the process through which IPDC influences corporate governance. This study not only enriches academic research on IPDC but also provides a theoretical basis for governments to formulate policies that enhance corporate governance. It also helps enterprises leverage the opportunities brought by IPDC development and financial innovation to optimize their governance structures and enhance market competitiveness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"106 ","pages":"Article 110261"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148183058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Testing characteristics importance with neural network gradients: Evidence from the China A-share market","authors":"Hongxu Wu , Zhibin Deng , Shaoze Li","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.109856","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.109856","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper develops a hypothesis testing framework based on neural network gradients to evaluate the importance of firm characteristics in predicting monthly excess returns in the China A-share market. Using smooth neural networks with one to five hidden layers, we find that many characteristics, including several traditionally viewed as important, are not statistically significant. Growth and valuation characteristics dominate return prediction, whereas operational and solvency characteristics have limited explanatory power. A comparison with the traditional <span><math><msup><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup></math></span>-reduction approach reveals that conclusions on characteristics importance depend on the analytical method. Monte Carlo simulations confirm the robustness of the proposed discrete testing procedure. The framework offers a rigorous and interpretable approach to assessing characteristics importance, contributing to model transparency and financial forecasting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 109856"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147605684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dynamic portfolio choice with stochastic liquidity risk: A perturbation approach","authors":"Jayden Zian Wang , Zheqi Fan , Yifan Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.109847","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.frl.2026.109847","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study a dynamic portfolio choice problem under the liquidity-adjusted asset price specification proposed by Feng et al. (2014). Given the intractability of an explicit solution to this problem, we develop a perturbation method to derive a second-order approximate solution, which captures not only the frictionless benchmark and linear liquidity effects, but also nonlinear liquidity corrections Finally, a series of numerical illustrations is provided to demonstrate the sensitivity of the approximate indirect utility function and optimal portfolio strategy to key model parameters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12167,"journal":{"name":"Finance Research Letters","volume":"99 ","pages":"Article 109847"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147598577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}