Differences In Market Characteristics Research Articles

Export Destination Characteristics and Markups: The Role of Country Size

Besides exhibiting substantial heterogeneity across firms or products of different quality, markups can vary within a firm across products of the same type that are sold to different markets. This implies that part of the observed markup heterogeneity is driven by differences in market characteristics. Openness to international trade plays a crucial role in this heterogeneity by allowing firms to operate in multiple markets simultaneously. This paper aims to assess the variation in markups across export destinations of different characteristics, with a particular focus on country size. The markup variation is estimated through an export demand specification using product–firm–country matched data from Luxembourg, where prices and quantities are observed separately. The results show that markups for products exported to larger destinations are significantly lower. In addition to destination size, markups are found to vary with the export destination's productivity advantage, distance, strictness of tariffs, EU membership status and richness. Exporters’ markups also vary significantly with firm age but not with firm size.

Dynamic Linkages and Volatility Transmission fromGlobal Equity Markets to Frontier Equity Markets ofthe Middle East and Africa

Frontier markets, or pre-emerging markets, represent a diverse group of equity markets of small and developing nations that typically exhibit a higher macroeconomic risk profile and lower levels of liquidity and market capitalization in comparison to the equity markets of emerging or developed economies. These differences in market characteristics create diversification opportunities for investment and portfolio management purposes. The objective of this article is to model the dynamics of volatility transmission from the mature global stock markets of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States to the frontier markets of Africa and the Middle East. VAR and GARCH models of returns are estimated to determine evidence of interdependence and volatility spillover from global mature stock markets to the frontier stock markets of Africa and the Middle East. The evidence reported is mixed, suggesting a varying level of volatility spillover and the leverage effect. This varying response to global stock market shocks reveals that frontier nation stock markets are not yet fully integrated with the global economy.

Comparative Value Relevance Studies: Country Differences Versus Specification Effects

This paper sheds light on the sensitivity of findings in comparative international value relevance studies regarding two fundamental methodological choices. We hypothesize and find that, first, using the regression vs. the portfolio returns specification and, second, the choice of the return window, is not arbitrary. Both choices will have an impact on country rankings and the significance of cross-country differences in comparative designs. This makes us conclude that findings in previous comparative international value relevance studies are partly driven by differences in market characteristics across countries. Extending the findings of Francis and Schipper (1999) and Collins and Kothari (1989), our results suggest that previous comparative studies might thus have overstated value relevance differences and institutional variables' power to explain these differences across countries. Findings are based on a treatment sample of 56,000 firm-year observations from 12 countries and from 12 matched U.S. control samples, with observations from 1988 to 2007.

Temporary Wholesale Gasoline Price Spikes Have Long‐Lasting Retail Effects: The Aftermath of Hurricane Rita

Abstract I study U.S. gasoline prices following Hurricane Rita to show that short‐lived geographical differences in the severity of wholesale gasoline price spikes are associated with long‐lasting geographical differences in retail prices. In most U.S. cities, wholesale prices spiked significantly for roughly 2 weeks following the hurricane. However, in cities where this spike was particularly large, retail margins remained higher than in other cities for nearly 2 months. High retail margins dissipated more quickly after the hurricane in cities where competition between stations tends to generate cyclical retail price fluctuations independent of wholesale cost movements. I discuss why prices may have fallen faster in cities exhibiting retail price cycles and present additional results identifying differences in market characteristics between cities with and without price cycles. I find that cycling cities tend to have higher population density and have independent (nonrefinery brand) stations that are mor...

Corporate Bond Price Data Sources and Return/Risk Measurement

To date, a number of studies involving the use of bond prices and/or returns have utilized the published prices of trades on the New York and other exchanges. These exchange quotes reflect the odd-lot activities of individual investors and account for only a negligible portion of the trading in listed issues. In contrast, the vast majority of listed corporate trading occurs over-the-counter and involves round-lot trades between institutions. Given differences in market characteristics, odd-lot exchange prices may differ substantially from those in the round-lot institutional market. This study compares exchange quotations from Moody's Bond Record with prices assigned by Merrill Lynch's institutional pricing service and uses each set of prices to calculate return and risk measures. Institutional (Merrill Lynch) bond prices are shown to be systematically greater than exchange (Moody's) prices. In addition, bond returns based on Merrill Lynch prices are shown to yield significantly higher beta and R 2 estimates, as well as significantly lower standard deviation and residual risk estimates.