IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/riibaf/v65y2023ics0275531923000727.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

R&D manipulation and SEO pricing in the Chinese capital market: The information effect of inefficient investment

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Duan
  • Wang, Lili
  • Yan, Jing
  • Wan, Hong

Abstract

While the literature finds that R&D management is used to inform investors, it is unclear how R&D manipulation affects pricing in security issuance because R&D management and its motives are difficult to detect. Using a group of Chinese listed companies that conducted seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) between 2007 and 2020, we examine the effect of inefficient R&D investment on SEO pricing. Our results affirm the mechanism of misleading by utilizing information asymmetry and show that under-investment in R&D drives up SEO prices, especially in firms with low profitability; over-investment in R&D would also raise SEO prices, but only for R&D-intensive industries. However, these impacts are weakened when information asymmetry is reduced. Internal investor subscription and external analyst coverage improve the information environment and suppress the information effect of inefficient R&D investment on SEO pricing.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Duan & Wang, Lili & Yan, Jing & Wan, Hong, 2023. "R&D manipulation and SEO pricing in the Chinese capital market: The information effect of inefficient investment," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:65:y:2023:i:c:s0275531923000727
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2023.101946
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0275531923000727
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ribaf.2023.101946?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marco Cipriani & Antonio Guarino, 2014. "Estimating a Structural Model of Herd Behavior in Financial Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(1), pages 224-251, January.
    2. Inder K. Khurana & Raynolde Pereira & Eliza (Xia) Zhang, 2018. "Is Real Earnings Smoothing Harmful? Evidence from Firm‐Specific Stock Price Crash Risk," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(1), pages 558-587, March.
    3. Foong Soon Cheong & Jacob Thomas, 2018. "Management of Reported and Forecast EPS, Investor Responses, and Research Implications," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(9), pages 4277-4301, September.
    4. Biddle, Gary C. & Hilary, Gilles & Verdi, Rodrigo S., 2009. "How does financial reporting quality relate to investment efficiency?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(2-3), pages 112-131, December.
    5. Cheung, Yan-Leung & Jing, Lihua & Lu, Tong & Rau, P. Raghavendra & Stouraitis, Aris, 2009. "Tunneling and propping up: An analysis of related party transactions by Chinese listed companies," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 372-393, June.
    6. Hunt-McCool, Janet & Koh, Samuel C & Francis, Bill B, 1996. "Testing for Deliberate Underpricing in the IPO Premarket: A Stochastic Frontier Approach," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(4), pages 1251-1269.
    7. Easley, David & O'Hara, Maureen & Paperman, Joseph, 1998. "Financial analysts and information-based trade," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 175-201, August.
    8. Amihud, Yakov & Mendelson, Haim & Lauterbach, Beni, 1997. "Market microstructure and securities values: Evidence from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 365-390, September.
    9. Jensen, Michael C, 1986. "Agency Costs of Free Cash Flow, Corporate Finance, and Takeovers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 323-329, May.
    10. Copeland, Thomas E & Galai, Dan, 1983. "Information Effects on the Bid-Ask Spread," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1457-1469, December.
    11. Xuan Tian & Tracy Yue Wang, 2014. "Tolerance for Failure and Corporate Innovation," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(1), pages 211-255, January.
    12. Ruan, Yong-Ping & Song, Xin & Zheng, Kai, 2018. "Do large shareholders collude with institutional investors? Based on the data of the private placement of listed companies," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 508(C), pages 242-253.
    13. Nelson, Phillip, 1970. "Information and Consumer Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(2), pages 311-329, March-Apr.
    14. Armstrong, Christopher S. & Guay, Wayne R. & Weber, Joseph P., 2010. "The role of information and financial reporting in corporate governance and debt contracting," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 179-234, December.
    15. Narasimhan Jegadeesh & Woojin Kim, 2010. "Do Analysts Herd? An Analysis of Recommendations and Market Reactions," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(2), pages 901-937, February.
    16. Krishnamurthy, Srinivasan & Spindt, Paul & Subramaniam, Venkat & Woidtke, Tracie, 2005. "Does investor identity matter in equity issues? Evidence from private placements," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 210-238, April.
    17. Sophia J. W. Hamm & Boochun Jung & Woo‐Jong Lee, 2018. "Labor Unions and Income Smoothing," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 35(3), pages 1201-1228, September.
    18. Estelle Y. Sun, 2021. "The Differential Role of R&D and SG&A for Earnings Management and Stock Price Manipulation," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(1), pages 242-275, March.
    19. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    20. Robert E. Carpenter & Bruce C. Petersen, 2002. "Is The Growth Of Small Firms Constrained By Internal Finance?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 84(2), pages 298-309, May.
    21. Andrea Mina & Henry Lahr & Alan Hughes, 2013. "The demand and supply of external finance for innovative firms," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 22(4), pages 869-901, August.
    22. He, Ying & Chen, Cindy & Hu, Yue, 2019. "Managerial overconfidence, internal financing, and investment efficiency: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 501-510.
    23. Amihud, Yakov, 2002. "Illiquidity and stock returns: cross-section and time-series effects," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 31-56, January.
    24. Roychowdhury, Sugata, 2006. "Earnings management through real activities manipulation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 335-370, December.
    25. Easley, David & O'Hara, Maureen, 1987. "Price, trade size, and information in securities markets," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 69-90, September.
    26. Hanna Hottenrott & Bettina Peters, 2012. "Innovative Capability and Financing Constraints for Innovation: More Money, More Innovation?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 94(4), pages 1126-1142, November.
    27. Bronwyn Hall, 2004. "The financing of research and development," Chapters, in: Anthony Bartzokas & Sunil Mani (ed.), Financial Systems, Corporate Investment in Innovation, and Venture Capital, chapter 2, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    28. Brown, James R. & Martinsson, Gustav & Petersen, Bruce C., 2012. "Do financing constraints matter for R&D?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(8), pages 1512-1529.
    29. Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1994. "Politicians and Firms," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(4), pages 995-1025.
    30. Sudipto Bhattacharya, 1979. "Imperfect Information, Dividend Policy, and "The Bird in the Hand" Fallacy," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 259-270, Spring.
    31. Mary E. Barth & Ron Kasznik & Maureen F. McNichols, 2001. "Analyst Coverage and Intangible Assets," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 1-34, June.
    32. Stewart C. Myers & Nicholas S. Majluf, 1984. "Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms Have InformationThat Investors Do Not Have," NBER Working Papers 1396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    33. Mark H. Lang & Russell J. Lundholm, 2000. "Voluntary Disclosure and Equity Offerings: Reducing Information Asymmetry or Hyping the Stock?," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 17(4), pages 623-662, December.
    34. Dichev, Ilia D. & Graham, John R. & Harvey, Campbell R. & Rajgopal, Shiva, 2013. "Earnings quality: Evidence from the field," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 1-33.
    35. Amiram, Dan & Owens, Edward & Rozenbaum, Oded, 2016. "Do information releases increase or decrease information asymmetry? New evidence from analyst forecast announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 121-138.
    36. Katherine A. Gunny, 2010. "The Relation Between Earnings Management Using Real Activities Manipulation and Future Performance: Evidence from Meeting Earnings Benchmarks," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 855-888, September.
    37. Leland, Hayne E & Pyle, David H, 1977. "Informational Asymmetries, Financial Structure, and Financial Intermediation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 32(2), pages 371-387, May.
    38. David Aboody & Baruch Lev, 2000. "Information Asymmetry, R&D, and Insider Gains," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(6), pages 2747-2766, December.
    39. Darren T. Roulstone, 2003. "Analyst Following and Market Liquidity," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 552-578, September.
    40. Ritter, Jay R., 2003. "Investment banking and securities issuance," Handbook of the Economics of Finance, in: G.M. Constantinides & M. Harris & R. M. Stulz (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 5, pages 255-306, Elsevier.
    41. Cohen, Daniel A. & Zarowin, Paul, 2010. "Accrual-based and real earnings management activities around seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 2-19, May.
    42. Fisman, Raymond & Svensson, Jakob, 2007. "Are corruption and taxation really harmful to growth? Firm level evidence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(1), pages 63-75, May.
    43. Peng, Winnie Qian & Wei, K.C. John & Yang, Zhishu, 2011. "Tunneling or propping: Evidence from connected transactions in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 306-325, April.
    44. Sudipto Bhattacharya, 1980. "Nondissipative Signaling Structures and Dividend Policy," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 95(1), pages 1-24.
    45. Stephen Glaeser & Jeremy Michels & Robert E. Verrecchia, 2020. "Discretionary disclosure and manager horizon: evidence from patenting," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 597-635, June.
    46. Wang, Taiyuan & Thornhill, Stewart, 2010. "R&D investment and financing choices: A comprehensive perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1148-1159, November.
    47. David Abad & M. Fuensanta Cutillas-Gomariz & Juan Pedro Sánchez-Ballesta & José Yagüe, 2018. "Real Earnings Management and Information Asymmetry in the Equity Market," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(2), pages 209-235, March.
    48. Teoh, Siew Hong & Welch, Ivo & Wong, T. J., 1998. "Earnings management and the underperformance of seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 63-99, October.
    49. Guariglia, Alessandra & Yang, Junhong, 2016. "A balancing act: Managing financial constraints and agency costs to minimize investment inefficiency in the Chinese market," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 111-130.
    50. Titman, Sheridan & Wei, K. C. John & Xie, Feixue, 2004. "Capital Investments and Stock Returns," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 39(4), pages 677-700, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhou, Zhongsheng & Li, Zhuo & Du, Shanzhong & Cao, June, 2024. "Robot adoption and enterprise R&D manipulation: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    2. Chiu, Sheng-Hsiung & Lin, Tzu-Yu & Pan, Lu, 2024. "External financing sensitivities and inefficient R&D investment: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    3. He, Liangliang & Li, Hui & Liu, Hong & Vu, Tuyet Nhung, 2024. "Why do banks issue equity?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Li, Xueqin & Zheng, Zhuoji & Luo, Beier & Shi, Daqian & Han, Xianfeng, 2024. "The impact of electricity sales side reform on energy technology innovation: An analysis based on SCP paradigm," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    5. Pang, Silu & Hua, Guihong, 2024. "How does digital tax administration affect R&D manipulation? Evidence from dual machine learning," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    6. Wen Qi & Yanyang Yan & Hongbing Yin, 2023. "Protecting Innovation Sustainability: R&D Manipulation and Effective Regulation Based on a Two-Scenario Evolutionary Game Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-21, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chiu, Sheng-Hsiung & Lin, Tzu-Yu & Pan, Lu, 2024. "External financing sensitivities and inefficient R&D investment: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    2. Cao, Zhangfan & Rees, William & Zhang, Zhifang, 2023. "The effect of real earnings smoothing on corporate labour investment," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(6).
    3. Chang, Che-Chia & Kao, Li-Han & Chen, Hsin-Yu, 2018. "How does real earnings management affect the value of cash holdings? Comparisons between information and agency perspectives," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 47-64.
    4. Roychowdhury, Sugata & Shroff, Nemit & Verdi, Rodrigo S., 2019. "The effects of financial reporting and disclosure on corporate investment: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2).
    5. Z. Jun Lin & Shengqiang Liu & Fangcheng Sun, 2017. "The Impact of Financing Constraints and Agency Costs on Corporate R&D Investment: Evidence from China," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 17(1), pages 3-42, March.
    6. Zhang, Yuyang & Uchida, Konari & Dong, Liping, 2020. "External financing and earnings management: Evidence from international data," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    7. Pham, Thu Phuong & Singh, Harminder & Vu, Van Hoang, 2023. "The impact of bank loan announcements on stock liquidity," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 848-864.
    8. Cheng-Wei Wu & Jeffrey J. Reuer, 2021. "Effects of R&D Investments and Market Signals on International Acquisitions: Evidence from IPO Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-27, April.
    9. B Korcan Ak & Patricia M Dechow & Yuan Sun & Annika Yu Wang, 2013. "The use of financial ratio models to help investors predict and interpret significant corporate events," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 38(3), pages 553-598, December.
    10. Georgios Efthyvoulou & Priit Vahter, 2016. "Financial Constraints, Innovation Performance and Sectoral Disaggregation," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 84(2), pages 125-158, March.
    11. Nguyen, Lily & Vu, Le & Yin, Xiangkang, 2020. "The undesirable effect of audit quality: Evidence from firm innovation," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    12. Andy Lardon & Marc Deloof, 2014. "Financial disclosure by SMEs listed on a semi-regulated market: evidence from the Euronext Free Market," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 361-385, February.
    13. Lee, Eugenia Y. & Ha, Wonsuk & Park, Sunyoung, 2023. "Auditor specialization in R&D and clients’ R&D investment-q sensitivity," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(2).
    14. Hanna Hottenrott & Bronwyn H. Hall & Dirk Czarnitzki, 2016. "Patents as quality signals? The implications for financing constraints on R&D," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 197-217, April.
    15. Yu, Huaibing, 2024. "Why isn't composite equity issuance favored by the stock market? A risk-based explanation for the anomaly," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    16. Francesco Aiello & Graziella Bonanno & Stefania P. S. Rossi, 2020. "How firms finance innovation. Further empirics from European SMEs," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(4), pages 689-714, November.
    17. Pan Xu & Jun He & Daojuan Wang & Sofia A. Johan & Siwei Lin, 2024. "Could the simultaneous persistence of greater cash holdings and interest‐bearing debts affect stock price crash risk?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3226-3262, July.
    18. Kin-Wai Lee & Gillian Hian-Heng Yeo, 2016. "The association between integrated reporting and firm valuation," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 1221-1250, November.
    19. Grazia Cecere & Nicoletta Corrocher & Maria Luisa Mancusi, 2020. "Financial constraints and public funding of eco-innovation: empirical evidence from European SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 285-302, January.
    20. Chen, Yangyang & Rhee, S. Ghon & Veeraraghavan, Madhu & Zolotoy, Leon, 2015. "Stock liquidity and managerial short-termism," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 44-59.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:65:y:2023:i:c:s0275531923000727. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ribaf .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.