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Accounting Accruals and Information Asymmetry in Europe

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  • Antonio Cerqueira
  • Claudia Pereira

Abstract

We investigate whether the positive relation between accounting accruals and information asymmetry documented for U.S. stock markets also holds for European markets, considered as a whole and at the country level. This research is relevant because this relation is likely to be affected by differences in accounting standards used by companies for financial reporting, in the traditional use of the banking system or capital markets for firm financing, in legal systems and cultural environment. We find that in European stock markets discretionary accruals are positively related with the Corwin and Schultz high-low spread estimator used as a proxy for information asymmetry. Our results suggest that the earnings management component of accruals outweighs the informational component, but the significance of the relation varies across countries. Further, such association tends to be stronger for firms with the highest levels of positive discretionary accruals. Consistent with the evidence provided by the authors, our results also suggest that the high-low spread estimator is more efficient than the closing bid-ask spread when analysing the impact of information quality on information asymmetry.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonio Cerqueira & Claudia Pereira, 2015. "Accounting Accruals and Information Asymmetry in Europe," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2015(6), pages 638-661.
    • Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2015:y:2015:i:6:id:528:p:638-661
    DOI: 10.18267/j.pep.528
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    Cited by:

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information quality; information asymmetry; high-low spread estimator; discretionary accruals;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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