{"title":"Text similarity in analyst reports and stock price synchronization","authors":"Yanqi Wang , Runyu Chen , Xiang Gao , Wenhao Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106258","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106258","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Security analysts play key information intermediary<span><span> roles in the capital market, and their analysis may reveal firm-specific facts that can enhance pricing efficiency. Using analyst research reports on listed Chinese companies, we empirically examine how text (dis)similarity among the reports written about a target company affects the company’s stock price synchronization. We perform such textual analysis on the premise that text (dis)similarity can measure the degree of incremental information in research reports. The results show a significant positive relationship between text similarity and price synchronization, a conclusion that holds after a series of robustness tests. The effect becomes more prominent with higher </span>information asymmetry<span> between firms and investors, more influential analyst reports, and better analysts’ ability to obtain new information. The mechanism lies in attention. As text similarity decreases, more analysts pay attention to the target company, incentivizing it to make more public announcements, which causes stock price synchronization to decrease. Our findings highlight a need for information diversity in the research analyst industry.</span></span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 106258"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is mixed-ownership a profitable ownership structure?—Empirical evidence from China","authors":"Yufei Zhang , Li Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite nearly twenty years of privatization, mixed-ownership reform has recently been China's mainstay of SOE reform. This raises the question of whether the financial performance of mixed-ownership firms (Mixed firms) is better than that of private-owned enterprises<span><span> (POEs). Although Mixed firms suffer more from government intervention, unclear property rights, and interest conflicts between state and private shareholders, they can also benefit from the external resources controlled by the state. Therefore, the performance of Mixed firms is still unclear. Collecting data from the Chinese A-share listed market, we divide the firms into POEs, Mixed firms controlled by the state (MixedSOEs), and Mixed firms controlled by the private sectors (MixedPOEs). Measuring profitability using ROA and ROE, we find that POEs perform better than Mixed firms, and MixedPOEs have a higher profitability than MixedSOEs. Better </span>corporate governance is the primary channel that can explain our results. We address the endogeneity challenge in several ways and get similar results. Overall, our analysis provides new evidence on the financial performance of mixed-ownership firms.</span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 106257"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860949","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does location matter in corporate finance? An empirical investigation on manufacturing SMEs and the consequences of being on the “wrong” side of the institutional border","authors":"G. Falavigna , R. Ippoliti","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106245","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106245","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Considering a population of manufacturing SMEs located in a common socio-cultural environment and divided by an institutional border, this work investigates the potential consequences of being sited on the “wrong” side of that border (i.e., the area with a longer delay in enforcing credit rights). According to our results, we cannot reject the hypothesis that locations affect the financing of SMEs, providing a contribution to the current debate on whether institutions are a source of comparative advantage (or disadvantage) in regional growth. Indeed, crossing that institutional border and assuming we detect a 10 % higher inefficiency, we expect to observe a lower financial debt ratio (-0.03) and a lower trade credit ratio (-0.06), as well as a higher shareholders’ loan ratio (+0.08) and lower investments in tangible fixed assets (-2733 TEUR). Policy implications concern the opportunity for a structural reform of the national institutional system, as well as the adoption of specific policies to support the SMEs located on the “wrong” side of the border, supporting their access to the capital market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"136 ","pages":"Article 106245"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144860948","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simona Galletta , John W. Goodell , Sebastiano Mazzù , Andrea Paltrinieri
{"title":"The impact of environmental disclosure and controversies on bank value","authors":"Simona Galletta , John W. Goodell , Sebastiano Mazzù , Andrea Paltrinieri","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106221","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106221","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigate the effect of green investment communication on the relationship between environmental controversies and bank value. Using a dataset of listed banks from 45 countries for 2012–2021, the main results show a positive moderating effect of green disclosure on banks’ controversial value relationship. The moderating effect is greater for banks with the highest number of environmental controversies. These results are also confirmed when addressing endogeneity bias with the generalised method of moments. Our evidence provides new insights for regulators to check the actual green behaviour of banks that are most exposed to environmental controversies. The results highlight the need for policymakers to take proactive measures to develop and strengthen governance that can enhance bank value by taking into account the needs and interests of different stakeholders and local communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 106221"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is the market tougher with riskier banks? Evidence from the pricing of bank debt securities during a financial turmoil episode","authors":"Adrian Pop, Diana Pop","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106223","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106223","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The philosophy behind the indirect channel of market discipline in banking regulation presumes that the pricing of bank securities, if accurate, conveys reliable signals to supervisors. In this paper, we explore empirically the possibility that markets price <em>differently</em> the risk profile of bank issuers along the empirical distribution of security prices. The paper uses a quantile regression framework to draw novel inferences about the functioning of debt market discipline and the quality of private monitoring in European banking during a severe financial turmoil episode: 1995--2002. This period is characterized by large swings in yields due to the Russian default and LTCM crisis, the burst of the dot-com bubble, and Enron’s failure. We find that the yield spread-risk relationship is systematically <em>steeper</em> at the “right-tail” of the conditional distribution of the credit spread. This result suggests that the market is somewhat “tougher” with riskier banks; that is, riskier bank issuers borrow at higher interest rates, which are increasing in their degree of riskiness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 106223"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138917","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does inefficiency of judicial system matter on financial development-entrepreneurship nexus? New evidence on the worldwide level","authors":"Cristian Barra","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study seeks to answer three critical research questions: Does financial development aid in the establishment of new businesses? Is diversity in banking crucial for financial development and entrepreneurship? Does the link between financial development and entrepreneurship suffer from inefficiency of judicial system? We employ a worldwide heterogeneous unbalanced sample consisting of 60 countries (developed and developing) from 2006 to 2021, considering information about two key types of financial intermediaries: commercial and cooperative. Based on two distinct estimators (FEGLS and FEIVH), the empirical evidence confirms the critical role of financial intermediaries in fostering entrepreneurship, with commercial bank branches having a higher intensity. Furthermore, the inefficiency of the judicial system is found to be a crucial factor in mitigating the link under scrutiny. In other words, in a country with a dysfunctional judicial system, the financial system limits loan grants for general investments, resulting in a decrease in entrepreneurship. To put it another way, financial development helps to foster the establishment of new businesses in countries with more efficient judicial systems. A battery of sensitivity analyses back up our empirical predictions, shedding light on the importance of policy implications that may be implemented to ensure the evolution of the entrepreneurial fabric while also fueling a heated debate over the vital role of both financial and judicial systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 106219"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Financial literacy and sustainable finance decisions among Italian households","authors":"Edoardo Lanciano , Daniele Previati , Ornella Ricci , Gianluca Santilli","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106220","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106220","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper empirically investigates whether financial literacy affects people’s attitudes toward sustainability, considering the degree of knowledge on sustainable finance, sustainable development and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and whether this knowledge affects sustainable investment decisions. We investigate a sample of 5000 respondents from the 2022 survey led by the Italian Financial Education Committee. We find that financial literacy is positively related to the level of knowledge of sustainable finance topics and that understanding these topics has a positive effect on several sustainable investment variables. We aim to highlight the role of financial literacy in sustainability goals and enrich the existing literature on the relationship between financial literacy and sustainable finance, providing further empirical evidence about a relationship that is not yet sufficiently explored.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 106220"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
George Allayannis , Gregory W. Brown , Leora F. Klapper
{"title":"Legal effectiveness and external capital: The role of foreign debt","authors":"George Allayannis , Gregory W. Brown , Leora F. Klapper","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2025.106244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research has documented weak, and sometimes conflicting, effects of legal quality on measures of firm debt. Using WorldScope data for 1689 firms as well as more detailed proprietary data for 315 firms across nine East Asian countries, we find that access to foreign financing appears to loosen borrowing constraints associated with poor legal systems. This helps resolve inconsistencies in prior findings and explains how legal protection is important for debt use. In particular, we find that legal effectiveness is important for determining the amount, the maturity -to some extent-, and the currency denomination of debt. We discuss several mechanisms by which firms can avoid the costs of poor legal systems with foreign borrowing. Finally, this paper contributes to the policy debate surrounding the importance of creditor rights for domestic lending.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"134 ","pages":"Article 106244"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicola Del Sarto , Irene Comeig Ramirez , Lorenzo Gai
{"title":"Impacts of FinTech funding announcements on traditional banks: An event study analysis","authors":"Nicola Del Sarto , Irene Comeig Ramirez , Lorenzo Gai","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106231","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106231","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates how traditional banks' stock prices react to FinTech funding announcements, addressing a notable research gap. Using event study methodology with the MSCI index as a benchmark, we analyze stock price responses of European traditional banks from 2010 to 2019. Both parametric t-tests and non-parametric generalized sign tests are employed to assess the impact. Grounded in signaling theory, we hypothesize that FinTech funding events signal increased competition and strategic uncertainty, affecting investor perceptions of traditional banks. Our findings indicate that FinTech funding announcements significantly influence traditional bank stock prices, with digital lending FinTechs having a more substantial impact compared to digital capital raising and digital payment FinTechs. This study highlights the differentiated investor response to FinTech competition, providing insights into the strategic challenges and market dynamics between traditional financial institutions and FinTech startups.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 106231"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143452782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Is bitcoin an inflation hedge?","authors":"Harold Rodriguez, Jefferson Colombo","doi":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106218","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jeconbus.2024.106218","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spot bitcoin ETFs have been recently approved in the U.S., increasing retail and institutional investors’ attention to crypto. To contribute to the debate on whether bitcoin protects against inflation, we analyze the effect of inflation shocks on bitcoin returns through the estimation and inference of Vector Autoregressive Models (VARs), identifying inflation shocks as surprises in the U.S.’s CPI and Core PCE announcements. Based on monthly data between August 2010 and January 2023, the results indicate that bitcoin returns increase significantly after a positive inflationary shock, corroborating empirical evidence that bitcoin can act as an inflation hedge. However, we observe that bitcoin’s inflationary hedging property is sensitive to the price index – it only holds for CPI shocks – and to the period of analysis – the hedging property stems primarily from sample periods before the increasing institutional adoption of BTC (“early days”). Notably, the inflation hedge property of bitcoin (Gold) has disappeared (strengthened) from the COVID-19 outbreak onwards. We conclude that bitcoin’s inflation-hedging property is context-specific and likely diminishes as it achieves broader adoption and becomes more integrated into mainstream financial markets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47522,"journal":{"name":"JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 106218"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143452785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}