IFRS Convergence and Value Relevance of Indian Accounting Information: The Earnings-Returns Association Analysis

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: India has recently joined the accounting revolution by implementing the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) through the convergence mode. This paper aims to examine the value relevance of Indian accounting information by finding an association between stock returns and the levels of earnings and changes in earnings. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study follows both relative and incremental association approaches to investigate changes in the value relevance of accounting information prepared using the IFRS converged Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS), while also examining the impact of their voluntary use. The study employs the Easton and Harris (1991) model on accounting data collected from 2012-13 to 2019-20. The panel data of 7,064 firm-year observations covers 883 firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and uses relevant econometric tests and multivariate panel regressions to test the hypotheses. Research findings: The findings reveal a decline in the returns value relevance following both mandatory and voluntary IFRS convergence. Theoretical contribution/Originality: The study is the first to document the changes in value relevance based on stock returns since the IFRS convergence process began in India. Practitioner/Policy implication: This line of research is significant in Indian capital markets to unravel the effects of the new standards on accounting as well as stock market variables. It has managerial implications for firm and standard-setters. Research limitation: The value relevance results are based on the returns model alone and the study does not analyse the price model.