Roger C. Graham

Accounting Practices and the Market Valuation of Accounting Numbers: Evidence from Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand

Abstract This study examines the relation between stock prices and accounting earnings and book values in six Asian countries: Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand. The analysis is based on a residual earnings model that expresses the value of the firm in terms of book value and residual income. The model holds for any clean surplus accounting system. However, for finite time horizons, biased accounting may affect model estimates. The six countries examined in this study differ in faithfulness to clean surplus accounting as well as bias (conservatism). The study addresses two questions. First, are there systematic differences across countries in the value relevance of accounting, and are these differences related to accounting differences? Second, are there systematic differences in the incremental and relative information content of book value per share (BVPS) and abnormal (residual) earnings per share (REPS) across the countries, and are such differences related to accounting differences? We find differences across the six countries in the explanatory power of BVPS and REPS for firm values. Explanatory power for Taiwan and Malaysia is relatively low while that for Korea and the Philippines is relatively high. These differences are generally consistent with differences in accounting practice; however, since Korean accounting practice is strongly influenced by tax law, we did not expect the high association for Korea. Second, with respect to the incremental and relative explanatory power of BVPS and REPS, we find BVPS to have high explanatory power in the Philippines and Korea but little in Taiwan. In all six countries REPS has less explanatory power than BVPS in most years. Again, the evidence may be interpreted as suggesting accounting practice affects valuation (with Korea again as the exception). Finally, we provide evidence on the sensitivity of the timing of comparisons of stock prices and accounting values. We find that comparing prices at year-end (even though annual accounting information has not been released at that time), in general, provides the highest correlation between market and accounting numbers.

The Contribution of Changes in Advertising Expenditures to Earnings and Market Values

Abstract We examine the asset value of advertising expenditures for a sample of 320 firms with reported advertising expenditures for each of the 10 consecutive years ending in 1994. We find that, depending upon the industry, changes in advertising expenditures are significantly associated with earnings up to five years following the year of the expenditure. Furthermore, the asset values are significantly associated with the market values of the firms. Across all industries, the asset value of advertising expenditures appears to have a 3-year life with the greatest value on the current year and declining value in subsequent years. Asset values are found to be longest lived in the consumer products and industrial products industries and shortest lived in the sales and services industry.

The Value Relevance of Accounting Information during a Financial Crisis: Thailand and the 1997 Decline in the Value of the Baht

This study addresses whether the financial turmoil surrounding the devaluation of the baht affected the value relevance of Thai accounting information. Our results suggest a decline in the value relevance of Thai book values and earnings following the devaluation. Prior to mid 1997 the Bank of Thailand pegged the value of the baht to a basket of currencies of which 80 percent was weighted to the US dollar. In response to pressure by currency speculators the bank abandoned its peg on July 2 1997 in favor of a managed float. The devaluation was followed by volatile exchange rates. The change in value relevance of accounting information after the devaluation may be attributable to the initial recognition of foreign exchange losses and the subsequent recognition of foreign exchange gains as exchange rates fell and then recovered.

Majority and Minority Ownership of Publicly‐Traded Firms: A Test of the Value of Control Using Market Multiples

Publicly-traded companies that are controlled by other publicly-traded companies provide a unique setting in which to test whether the market values of majority and minority ownership interests are proportionate to their ownership percentages. Test results indicate that the value of subsidiary net assets and net income are greater to majority shareholders than to minority shareholders. However, comparison of asset and income valuation with a sample of diffusely-held firms indicates that this valuation asymmetry is not due to a wealth transfer from the minority to the majority owners but to a discounting of the portion of the subsidiary owned by the minority shareholders. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 1999.

Evidence of the Relation Between Accounting for Equity Investments and Equity Valuation

Income recognition events for equity investments reflect an investors ability to influence the activities of an investee and therefore the timing of income realization to the investor. Investor firms with passive equity investments recognize investment income when investee dividends are declared, whereas investors with nonpassive equity investments recognize investment income as investee income is earned. To determine whether market participants associate investor income realization with the income recognition events, investor and investee security return correlations are examined around investee dividend and earnings announcements. The correlations suggest an association between passive and nonpassive investor valuation and investee dividend and earnings announcements that corresponds to the accounting income recognition procedures for equity investments. Analysis of the relative timing of investor and investee announcements indicates that the results are not due to a naive fixation on accounting revenue recognition events. Rather, the results suggest differences in the substance of the investor-investee relation between passive and nonpassive investments. The results are robust to alternative specifications and controls for relative investment size and industry affiliation.