{"title":"Post-traumatic growth of CEOs and corporate giving: Evidence from the Korean War","authors":"Seunghyun Cho , Jinhan Pae , Choong-Yuel Yoo","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103101","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103101","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how CEOs’ childhood traumatic experiences, specifically those arising from the Korean War experienced between the ages of six and twelve, influence corporate giving behaviors. Using corporate charitable contributions as a manifestation of “altruism born of suffering,” we find that firms led by war-traumatized CEOs donate more than those led by non-traumatized CEOs. Our results remain robust with controls for CEO characteristics and are validated through propensity score matching, entropy balancing, turnover analysis, and placebo tests. In addition, we find that the effects of CEO war trauma on corporate giving are more pronounced when CEOs are highly educated, powerful, and have longer career concerns and that corporate giving by firms led by war-traumatized CEOs enhances future firm value, a benefit not observed in firms led by non-traumatized CEOs. Overall, this study highlights the impact of CEOs’ post-traumatic growth on corporate policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103101"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144908844","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":"Methodological ESG uncertainty in portfolio sorts","authors":"Ricardo Henriquez-Salman","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103132","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103132","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study systematically examines how different portfolio choices affect returns in the context of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores. The analysis reveals substantial variations in return distributions across different geographical regions, industry sectors, and ESG scores using data from three ESG data providers. The average monthly non-standard error is 0.112% and exceeds standard errors. This sensitivity helps to explain the mixed findings in the literature and, from a signaling theory perspective, undermines the reliability of ESG scores as market signals. However, portfolios sorted on ESG disparity, reflecting consistent performance across ESG dimensions, consistently produce positive premia and alphas, suggesting that balanced ESG profiles provide more credible signals to investors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103132"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095523","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":"Do domestic and US economic policy uncertainty increase China’s macro-financial risk connectedness?","authors":"Chunyang Hu , Yang Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103138","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103138","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While economic policy uncertainty (EPU) has been shown to increase systemic risk within financial institutions, there is limited knowledge about the role of EPU in influencing the risk connectedness (spillover) between financial markets and macroeconomic sectors. This paper provides a systematic analysis and comparison of how China’s macro-financial risk connectedness in responds to an increase in domestic and US EPU. The results suggest that: (i) an increase in domestic EPU leads to a significant rise in macro-financial total risk connectedness for at least two years; (ii) specifically, the increase in domestic EPU causes financial markets to act more as transmitters of risk, while macroeconomic sectors act more as receivers of risk; (iii) categorical EPUs exhibit a similar pattern to the overall EPU, with China’s monetary policy uncertainty (MPU) having the largest effects; (iv) US EPU also increases China’s macro-financial risk connectedness, though the impact is lower in magnitude and shorter in duration; (v) however, during the US–China trade conflict, a rise in US TPU causes a more significant and persistent increase in China’s macro-financial risk connectedness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103138"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220793","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":"Decoding risk transmission: A higher-order moments network analysis of sustainable and traditional markets","authors":"Yue He , Miaomiao Tao , Xiaohang Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103085","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103085","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The implications of spillovers between traditional and sustainable markets have drawn extensive attention as the world’s financial markets become more intricate and interconnected. We construct a multi-layer dynamic spillover network to characterize the risk contagion between sustainable markets (i.e., carbon, clean energy, and gas) and traditional markets (i.e., crude oil, gold, and equities). In particular, we examine the dynamic spillover characteristics across markets by leveraging higher-order moments and the DBN-LGCNET model. Our results reveal robust interconnections between the crude oil and gold markets in the higher-order moments network, whereas sustainable markets exhibit notable linkages at the skewness and kurtosis layers. Spillover relationships across different market layers display similarities and pronounced heterogeneity. These results present a fresh viewpoint for investors on portfolio diversification and risk mitigation while offering empirical evidence to aid policymakers in promoting green finance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103085"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144887096","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}
Youssef El Khatib , Stéphane Goutte , Feng Ma , Samuel A. Vigne
{"title":"Impact of exogenous events on volatility derivatives pricing","authors":"Youssef El Khatib , Stéphane Goutte , Feng Ma , Samuel A. Vigne","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103129","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Investors and risk managers looking to manage or diversify risks by investing in volatility derivatives continue to face the challenge of accurately valuing variance and volatility swaps. This article proposes an alternative approach for the valuation of variance and volatility derivatives on discrete samples by developing an enlarged Markov switching stochastic volatility model with jumps. Merging these three economic and financial properties enables our model to account for both endogenous and exogenous factors. A key theoretical contribution is the derivation of partial integro-differential equations (PIDEs) that characterize the fair delivery price of discretely sampled variance swaps within this framework. We perform comprehensive numerical simulations that demonstrate the model’s ability to capture important market features, including regime shifts, jumps, and volatility clustering. Findings suggest that the model provides an enhanced framework for pricing discretely sampled variance swaps.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103129"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019853","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}
Jianli Wang , Xiao Xiao , Minghua Dong , Jingyuan Li
{"title":"Does ESG rating disagreement discourage corporate green innovation? Evidence from China","authors":"Jianli Wang , Xiao Xiao , Minghua Dong , Jingyuan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid development of ESG investment has led to the swift emergence of ESG rating agencies, causing ESG rating disagreements that impact corporate green innovation. This paper utilizes panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies to explore the impact of ESG rating disagreement on corporate green innovation and its underlying mechanisms. Our findings reveal that ESG rating disagreement negatively affects corporate green innovation, which is supported by several endogeneity and robustness tests. Mechanism analysis indicates that institutional investor shareholding and effective internal control mitigate these adverse effects. Further research shows that firms that are in central and western China, are not technology-intensive, have high market competition, and receive high investor attention are particularly susceptible to these negative impacts. Consequently, the government should encourage enterprises to actively implement ESG principles and accelerate the development of ESG rating standards and disclosure systems to foster high-quality corporate development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103146"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158131","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":"Does climate risk disclosure affect stock liquidity?","authors":"Shaohai Lei , Yilan Chen , Dehua Xia","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103130","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103130","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study empirically examines the effects of climate risk disclosure on stock liquidity at the firm-quarter level. Using panel data from 5161 U.S. listed firms from 2007 to 2022, we employ a two-way fixed effects (TWFE) model to estimate the causal impact of firm-level climate risk disclosure on stock liquidity. Our findings reveal that climate risk disclosure significantly enhances stock liquidity in the current and subsequent quarters. These results remain robust across various model specifications, sample variations, and periods. Specifically, disclosures related to opportunity and physical risks have a more pronounced effect on current stock liquidity, while regulatory risk disclosures exert a more substantial influence on future stock liquidity. Furthermore, firms with greater information transparency and proactive commitment to climate change amplify the positive effects of climate risk disclosure on stock liquidity. These findings highlight the critical role of corporate climate risk disclosure in shaping market dynamics and improving liquidity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103130"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145019852","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":"The role of family control and ownership in M&A decisions: Evidence from an emerging market","authors":"Luiz Ricardo Kabbach-de-Castro , Mariana Martins Meirelles-de-Castro , Aquiles Elie Guimarães Kalatzis","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103125","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103125","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Family firms frequently confront a strategic tension between protecting socioemotional wealth and pursuing financial growth. Adopting a mixed-gamble approach, we examine how family-controlled firms assess mergers and acquisitions (M&A) by balancing potential financial benefits against perceived socioemotional risks. Our findings show that family control is associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in M&A transactions, reflecting a conservative strategic position. However, the structure of family ownership moderates this behavior: stronger voting rights increase the probability of acquisitions by reducing perceived threats to control, whereas higher cash flow rights amplify financial risk aversion, further discouraging acquisition activity. These effects are robust across variations in firm size, growth opportunities, dividend policies, and deal characteristics, such as industry-related and domestic deals. By showing how governance configurations shape the framing of M&A strategic decisions, our study extends the mixed-gamble framework and highlights the internal signals family firms rely upon when navigating complex growth choices. The findings offer new insights into the governance-driven foundations of family firm behavior, particularly under the heightened uncertainty of emerging market environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103125"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144997185","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":"The financial benefits of digital technology adoption: Evidence from large language model","authors":"Cheng Li , Tao Li , Shengkun Zhao , Xuankai Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103136","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103136","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Corporate financing decisions are fundamental to firm growth and long-term competitiveness. While digital technologies have been widely adopted to improve operational efficiency and business performance, their influence on corporate financing decisions remains underexplored. This study constructs firm-level measures of digital technology adoption by using a large language model and investigates how digital adoption affects financing behavior for Chinese A-share listed firms. We find that digital technologies significantly mitigate financing constraints by lowering the cost of capital and expanding access to external funds. These benefits arise through three key channels: enhancing corporate transparency, boosting profitability, and fostering innovation. Further analysis reveals that the improvement in financing conditions driven by digital technologies is more pronounced in smaller firms and for equity financing. Our results highlight the economic significance of digital technology in mitigating financial frictions and improving capital allocation efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103136"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158753","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":"Towards low-carbon development through integration of technology and finance: Quasi-experimental evidence from China","authors":"Yantuan Yu , Ning Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ribaf.2025.103150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the critical roles of technology and finance in pollution abatement have been empirically ascertained, the synergistic effects of their integration on carbon mitigation and carbon marginal abatement costs (CMAC) of carbon remain underexplored in existing literature. In this paper, we first treat the scientific-technological and finance pilot policy (STFPP) as a quasi-experimental, and identify its effects on carbon emissions and CMAC using the staggered difference-in-differences strategy. Empirical findings show that the STFPP leads to a 5.2 % decrease in carbon emissions alongside a reduction in CMAC by 1520 RMB per ton. It is also found that STFPP has a pronounced effect in reducing carbon emissions through three mechanisms: strengthening carbon reduction policy intensity, promoting green technological innovation, and facilitating integration of digital and real economies. This investigation not only constructs a theoretical scaffold but also provides empirical evidence that elucidates the specific mechanisms by which STFPP can effectively decrease both carbon emissions and CMAC. Our paper provides a practical basis for reinforcing the role of STFPP in environmental governance, equipping policymakers with valuable insights for strategic decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51430,"journal":{"name":"Research in International Business and Finance","volume":"80 ","pages":"Article 103150"},"PeriodicalIF":6.9,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145220787","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}