Madura, Jeff

The form of the partial acquisition provides a unique opportunity to analyze the influence the partial acquirer has on the target firm which is not available in full acquisitions. This dissertation investigates how the subsequent decisions of both the partial acquirer and the partially acquired target affect their own stock valuations and the stock valuations of the other firm. Only partial acquisitions of less than 50% were considered so that the effect of corporate control without overt control could be measured. An event-study methodology is used to measure the stock price reactions of both firms to the announcement of several type of events: (1) acquisition/divestiture strategies, (2) dividend changes and (3) capital structure changes. The observed stock price reactions are then examined cross-sectionally to test whether firm-specific factors of explicit and implicit controls are influential in explaining the stock price reactions. A second goal of this dissertation was to measure the long term valuations of both firms and the combined entity to determine if the form of the partial acquisition is superior to that of a full acquisition. Again, various firm specific factors of explicit and implicit controls are tested cross-sectionally to determine their explanatory power on the long term valuations of both firms. The results of the event studies support the hypotheses that the actions of the partial acquirer do have an effect on the stock valuations of the partially acquired target (and vice versa) without the acquirer possessing a majority ownership position. In addition, several measures of explicit and implicit controls were found to be significant determinants of the short term stock valuations. The long term valuation studies implied that the form of the partial acquisition may not be superior to that of a full acquisition. However, it was determined that certain firm-specific factors (relatedness of the acquirer and target) have a significant effect on the long-term valuations for both firms.

A pre-determined percentage of the assets of mutual funds is extracted from each portfolio's value on a daily basis to cover operating expenses. The nature of the relationship between these fund operating expenses and fund size is the focus of this dissertation. A negative relationship is shown to exist between mutual fund operating expense percentages and mutual fund size. Next, a double-log estimating equation is utilized to generate a measure of the elasticity of mutual fund operating expenses with respect to mutual fund size. This expense-size elasticity (ESE) is estimated to be.961 for the entire cross-sectional sample, indicating that a one percent increase in fund size is associated with a.961% increase in fund operating expenses. Next, the elasticity of mutual fund operating expenses with respect to mutual fund size is calculated for each of five fund size categories. The ESE of the largest fund size category is shown to not differ in a statistically significant manner from those of the smaller categories of mutual fund size. ESEs are then calculated for various investment objective categories and are shown to differ in a statistically significant manner. ESEs also differ between load and no-load funds as well as between open-end and closed-end funds. The lack of statistically significant differences between the ESEs of various size categories is also evident in an analysis performed on a cross-sectional sample of mutual fund families. Further, evidence of the lack of significance of fund size in explaining variation in fund-specific ESES is found in an analysis of time series data for mutual funds in existence from 1976 through 1994.

Exchange rate fluctuations create disparate types and degrees of exposure. Cash flows and net income fluctuate as result of exchange rate fluctuations. Consequently, shareholders, debtholders, and management closely monitor exposure. This dissertation investigates characteristics that explain the differential exposure of U.S.-based multinational corporations (MNCs) and examines conditions that influence exposure to shift over time. Operating characteristics that represent economic and accounting exposure are empirically studied to determine their impact on the overall exposure of MNCs. First, the results show that MNCs with imbalances in foreign currency inflows and outflows are more sensitive to exchange rate changes. A simple measure of European involvement is not adequate to assess the level of exposure. Second, it is found that the degree of export sales is a significant determinant of exposure. Third, there is strong support that accounting exposure is relevant. The translation effect on earnings is found to be significantly related to overall exposure. It is feasible that the dynamic nature of the international marketplace and MNC operations influence exposure to shift over time. First, the European Community Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) crisis is studied. The ERM crisis provides an opportunity to assess the effects on exposure when a tightly-controlled exchange rate regime becomes more relaxed. Using portfolio returns, U.S.-based MNCs operating in Europe experienced a positive shift in exposure, indicating returns are positively related to a strengthening dollar, following the onset of the ERM crisis. The strength of the dollar is another condition examined. Due to potential asymmetric responses, exposure may shift as the strength of the dollar changes. The asymmetric hedging hypothesis is not strongly supported while there is some support for the asymmetric competitive response hypothesis. The effects of repositioning on exposure are also studied. This analysis differs from the previous analyses of shifts in exposure since repositioning activities are predominantly under management's control. There is some evidence that exposure is a variable that continually changes as repositioning occurs. A subset of MNCs with returns that are negatively affected by a strong dollar displays time-varying exposure due to changes in their imbalance of foreign currency inflows and outflows.

The corporate form of business organization has associated with it potentially significant agency costs. These costs arise principally from the separation of ownership and control interests in the firm. While it is widely believed that multinational corporations (MNCs) with substantial foreign market exposure face higher agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic firms, empirical evidence in support of this contention is largely absent from the literature. This dissertation uses capital market data to empirically examine the theory that multinational corporations with substantial exposure to foreign markets incur greater agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations. Using the agency cost perspective of common shareholders, this study tests for evidence of a differential agency cost effect for MNCs by examining the market reaction to a series of events that should tend to signal a change in the level of agency costs for all firms. If MNCs with significant foreign market exposure experience higher agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations, then events that tend to reduce (increase) agency costs in all firms should have greater positive (negative) wealth effects for highly exposed MNCs. An event-study methodology is used to measure the abnormal returns associated with the announcements of four separate events: (1) debt offerings; (2) equity offerings; (3) organizational restructurings; and (4) takeover defenses. The observed abnormal returns are then examined cross-sectionally to test whether various firm-specific factors (primarily degree of foreign market exposure) are influential in explaining the pattern of returns. When taken together, the results of the four event-studies and their associated cross-sectional analyses support the main hypothesis of this dissertation that multinational corporations with substantial foreign market exposure experience greater levels of agency costs than less-exposed MNCs or domestic corporations. The strength of these findings depends upon the extent to which the underlying events represent effective proxies for changes in agency costs across firms.

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test theories on wealth effects surrounding divestiture of foreign and domestic subsidiaries by U.S. firms. Two primary research questions are addressed: (1) What are the wealth effects associated with divestiture of foreign and domestic subsidiaries? (2) How do firm-specific and macroeconomic conditions affect these wealth effects? Various methodologies are used to empirically test theories and hypotheses. Two samples of divestitures that occurred between 1979 and 1991 are used. One sample consists of 111 divestitures of foreign subsidiaries by U.S. firms, and the other sample consists of 148 divestitures of domestic subsidiaries by U.S. firms. The results of this study are relevant to corporate managers, investors, security analysts, and other researchers. Foreign and domestic divestitures elicit positive short-run valuation effects of about 1 and 2 percent respectively. In the long run, firms that divest foreign subsidiaries increase in value on average by about 15 percent over a 5 year post-divestiture period. Conversely, firms that divest domestic subsidiaries decrease in value on average by about 11 percent over the 5 years that follow divestiture. No significant change in firm risk is associated with foreign or domestic divestitures. Relations between short-run and long-run valuation effects in the sample of domestic divestitures are positive and significant for periods of up to 4 years after divestiture, but for foreign divestitures, such relations are not significant. This suggests that the market adjusts more slowly but seems to more accurately predict the long run impact of domestic divestitures. Large divestitures elicit large valuation effects. Financially strong firms divesting foreign subsidiaries experience less favorable valuation effects. Greater valuation effects result from divestiture of unrelated subsidiaries. Strategic divestitures elicit positive valuation effects in the short run but little unique effect in the long run. Domestic divestitures that occur because of liquidity problems elicit positive valuation effects. Larger valuation effects are associated with divestiture of foreign subsidiaries in industrial countries than in less developed countries. A strong U.S. dollar seems to have a positive influence on short-run valuation effects but no material influence on long-run valuation effects associated with foreign divestiture.

This study empirically investigates direct foreign investments, acquisitions and partial acquisitions with a U.S. firm, from 1980 through 1989. The primary purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) establish the overall effect of direct foreign investments on shareholder wealth surrounding the announcement (the short-term share price reaction) and over a three-year period after the announcement (the long-term share price reaction) and (2) form a greater understanding of the variables influencing the shareholder wealth effect of direct foreign investments. The overall short-term share price reaction is negative but insignificant for U.S firms acquiring foreign firms, positive and significant for U.S. firms partially acquiring foreign firms, and positive and significant for U.S. targets partially acquired by foreign firms. The overall long-term share price reaction is negative and significant for each of the previous three group of U.S. firms, yet positive and significant for foreign targets partially acquired by U.S. firms and negative but insignificant for foreign firms partially acquiring U.S. firms. The variables influencing each group of U.S. firms are a firm's name recognition, the exchange rate, investment in a related industry, investment in a developed country, and the presence of a previous international expansion.

This dissertation analyzes the impact of takeover defenses and cancellations in three essays: (1) The Impact of the Strength of Targets' Takeover Defense Mechanisms on Acquiring Firms; (2) The Impact of the Announcement of Shareholder-Friendly Poison Pill Provisions on Shareholder Wealth; and (3) The Relation between Short Interest Positions and Acquisition Withdrawal Announcements. The first essay examines the impact of the strength of target firms' takeover defenses on acquiring firms' probability of successfully completing takeover deals, acquiring firms' takeover wealth effects, and their long-term performance. The evidence indicates that acquirers are more likely to complete takeovers if targets have weaker defenses. Additionally, acquisition announcement cumulative abnormal returns are lower for acquirers bidding on targets with stronger defenses. However, acquiring firms underperform in the long-run, which has limited relation with targets' takeover defense strengths. The second essay examines the market's reaction to announcements of the adoption of shareholder-friendly poison pills. The market's reaction is generally favorable to poison pill announcements. Cumulative abnormal returns surrounding friendly poison pill adoptions are positive and statistically significant. Additionally, adoptions of poison pills with sunset and TIDE provisions are positively and significantly related to poison pill announcement wealth effects. However, dead hand and fiduciary out provisions have significant inverse relation with poison pill announcement cumulative abnormal returns. Poison pills with chewable, no hand, and adverse persons clauses do not significantly explain cumulative abnormal returns. The cancellation study analyzes abnormal short selling interests in target firms in the month prior to the announcement of a cancelled takeover bid. Average short selling levels are 4 or 5 times higher than normal short selling levels in the month prior to the announcement of takeover bid cancellation, and are negatively related to announcement wealth effects. These initial findings imply that short sellers may be able to anticipate the negative wealth effects associated with deal failure, and hence increase short interests to benefit from target's (albeit brief) decline in value. However, further analyses point to short sellers using market-to-fundamentals strategies, and imply that increased abnormal short selling in the month prior to the announcement of cancelled takeover bids may be coincidental.

The dissertation consists of three research works about special topics of financial intermediation. The main goal of the first study is to determine the effect of some corporate governance-related variables on bank initial public offerings (IPOs). The testable hypotheses involve three dependent variables: abnormal offer price, initial return or underpricing, and long-term performance. The proposed independent variables have no explanatory power on the cross-sectional variation of the abnormal offer price. The proportion of outside directors, the size of the bank, directors and officers' (D&O) equity based compensation plans, and the age of the bank, all have a positive relationship with the level of underpricing. The variables, nominating committee independence, directors' knowledge and experience, and directors' reputation, have the hypothesized positive relationship with the sample's long-run performance. The main goal of the second research work is the analysis of a sample of self-underwritten IPOs. The analysis includes the IPOs' underpricing; long-term performance; lockup and quiet period; risk; volume; and failure and acquisitions. The main result of this study is that here are no significant differences on the level of underpricing between self-underwritten IPOs and conventional IPOs underwritten by independent underwriters. The only significant result about the long-run performance of self-underwritten IPOs is on the subsample of nonpenny stocks, where the larger the firm the lower the long-run performance. The third research work focuses on going private transactions of financial institutions. This study includes the analysis of the cross-sectional differences of the cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) that result from the public announcement of a going private transaction proposal. Similarly, this study tests the long-run performance and the risk change of those firms that stay public after the withdrawal of a going private transaction. The main results suggest that public announcement of a going-private transaction produces positive CARs of about 15 percent. The public announcement of the withdrawal of a going-private transaction generates negative CARs between -4 percent and -5 percent. The total risk of the sample with respect to the matching group experiences a positive and significant increase after the public announcement of a going-private transaction proposal.

Since the early 1990s there has been a substantial increase both in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) as well as in divestitures of high-tech companies. This dissertation examines the takeover and divestiture activity in high-tech markets in an effort to extend our current knowledge regarding high-tech companies. In that context, various firm characteristics and their relation to firm performance are investigated. Furthermore, an attempt is made to examine the role of investment banks and their impact---if any---on shareholder wealth. This study finds that for domestic high-tech acquisitions, the higher the level of the target's R&D expenditures, the lower the bidder's announcement period wealth effects. Furthermore, the more MEDIA attention the tech target receives prior to the acquisition the more favorably investors react to news about the acquisition. This finding is common both for domestic and international tech acquisitions. Findings on the role of investment bank advisors vary across the three studies. Essay 1 shows that high-tech acquisitions advised by top-tier investment banks perform worse upon announcement than acquisitions advised by lower-tier investment banks. In Essay 2 the tier of the investment bank advisor makes a difference only during the difficult and uncertain years of the tech downturn time period. Finally, in Essay 3 it is found that sellers benefit from the presence of an investment bank advising the buyer, suggesting that whenever the buyer uses an investment bank, the assets are divested at a high price. However, it is only during the years following the end of the tech-bubble period that buying-firm shareholders reacted less favorably to acquisitions of high-tech divested assets certified by an investment bank.

This dissertation examines the pricing behavior of exchange traded funds (ETFs) in three essays. (1) The Overreaction of International ETFs, (2) Fragmentation of Night Markets, and (3) The Impact of the Creation of the QQQ on the Underlying Securities. The overreaction study examines the role of information in global overreaction. Univariate analysis reveals that overreaction associated with informed events is less pronounced than with uninformed events following extreme price decreases. Further, positive firm-specific announcements are met with investor overreaction while negative firm-specific announcements are not. Finally, significant reversals of winners during bull markets relative to bear markets support the hypothesis that bull markets contribute to investor overconfidence and overreaction. The fragmentation study examines the cost of market fragmentation across day and night trading sessions. Using a sample of intraday transaction data for three ETFs, I show that night markets do not impound information available in net order flow to the same degree as day markets. Bid-ask spreads are wider at night and these costs are due to higher order processing costs, market maker rents and higher inventory holding costs. Furthermore, market concentration costs at night are associated with significantly higher spreads. The QQQ creation study investigates whether the creation of tradable baskets of securities affects the pricing efficiency and risk of the underlying securities. The results show that extreme price movements in the post-QQQ period are met with less pronounced corrections than in the pre-QQQ period, and that this pricing pattern does not hold true for the control sample. A decomposition of spreads finds that quoted spreads widen and effective spreads tighten in the post-QQQ period. Furthermore, though more heavily weighted components of the QQQ experience tighter spreads, this benefit is less pronounced in the post-QQQ period implying relative benefits to the less heavily weighted components. Cross-sectional analysis reveals that liquidity is directly related to pricing efficiency, but this relationship lessens in the post-QQQ period. The results also show that systematic risk for the underlying securities declines while total risk rises, though the control sample experiences a similar rise in total risk.