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Earnings Metrics, Information Processing, and Price Efficiency in Laboratory Markets

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  • W. BROOKE ELLIOTT
  • JESSEN L. HOBSON
  • BRIAN J. WHITE

Abstract

An enduring issue in financial reporting is whether and how salient summary measures of firm performance (“earnings metrics”) affect market price efficiency. In laboratory markets, we test the effects of salient earnings metrics, which vary in how they combine persistent and transitory elements, on investor information search, beliefs about value, offers to trade, and market price efficiency. We find that including transitory elements in salient earnings metrics causes traders to search unnecessarily for further information about these elements and to overestimate their effect on fundamental value relative to a rational benchmark. In contrast, separately displaying persistent elements in earnings increases the accuracy of traders’ value estimates. Prices generally reflect traders’ beliefs about value, and prices are most efficient when transitory elements are excluded from earnings metrics entirely. Our study contributes to research on salience effects in financial reporting by showing that including transitory elements in salient earnings metrics causes inefficient information search and biased beliefs about value that can aggregate to affect market prices. We also contribute to research in experimental markets by showing that redundant disclosure is not always beneficial; redundant disclosure of transitory earnings elements, in particular, appears to have negative consequences for investor behavior and market efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • W. Brooke Elliott & Jessen L. Hobson & Brian J. White, 2015. "Earnings Metrics, Information Processing, and Price Efficiency in Laboratory Markets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 555-592, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:53:y:2015:i:3:p:555-592
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12080
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    3. Brown, T. & Grant, Stephanie M. & Winn, Amanda M., 2020. "The effect of mobile device use and headline focus on investor judgments," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. Stirnkorb, Sebastian, 2024. "Transaction cost unbundling and investors’ reliance on investment research: Evidence from experimental asset markets," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    5. Eddy Cardinaels & Stephan Hollander & Brian J. White, 2019. "Automatic summarization of earnings releases: attributes and effects on investors’ judgments," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 860-890, September.
    6. Cardinaels, Eddy & Hollander, Stephan & White, Brian, 2019. "Automatic summarization of earnings releases : Attributes and effects on investors’ judgments," Other publications TiSEM 721f64f4-033e-453b-a3e7-2, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    7. Koonce, Lisa & Mongold, Cassie & Quaid, Laura & White, Brian J., 2024. "Experimental research on standard-setting issues in financial reporting," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    8. Martin, Rachel, 2019. "Examination and implications of experimental research on investor perceptions," Journal of Accounting Literature, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 145-169.
    9. Lunawat, Radhika, 2021. "Learning from trading activity in laboratory security markets with higher-order uncertainty," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    10. Chen, Wei & Tan, Hun-Tong & Wang, Elaine Ying, 2023. "The impact of repeated notifications and notification checking mode on investors' reactions to managers’ strategic positive title emphasis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    11. Nerissa C. Brown & Brian T. Gale & Stephanie M. Grant, 2022. "How Do Disclosure Repetition and Interactivity Influence Investors’ Judgments?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1775-1811, December.

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