Earnings Opacity Research Articles

Deposit insurance and credit union earnings opacity

This study examines the impact of deposit insurance coverage on credit union earnings opacity. For identification, we employ the provisions outlined in Section 136 of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, which raised the upper limit of deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $250,000. Using variation in insured deposits brought about by the differential impact of the change to deposit insurance arrangements and a difference-in-differences approach, we find that credit unions experiencing a substantial rise in insured deposits tend to exercise more discretion over loan loss provisions, leading to an increase in earnings opacity. This is most evident for small and medium sized credit unions.

The impact of earnings opacity on corporate social responsibility: insights from Vietnamese listed firms

PurposeThis paper studies the association between earnings opacity and corporate social responsibility disclosures of firms listed on the Vietnamese Stock Exchange.Design/methodology/approachWe utilize a dataset comprising a sample of all listed Vietnamese firms for the period of 2014–2022. Data regarding corporate social responsibility information are gathered manually. Following Dechow et al. (1995), Kothari et al. (2005) and Bhattacharya et al. (2003), earnings opacity is measured by using three proxies, including abnormal accruals, earnings smoothing and loss avoidance. Our hypothesis was tested via ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions. To address endogeneity problems, we use the two-stage instrumental variable method (IV-2SLS) as well as the generalized method of moments (GMM) to ensure the robustness of our results.FindingsWe find that earnings opacity is positively related to corporate social responsibility disclosures. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that managers of firms disguise their opportunistic behaviour by disclosing more information about corporate social responsibility. The evidence also shows that firms experience long-run underperformance when having higher earnings opacity and greater sustainability disclosures. Our results remain robust even after correcting for endogeneity using the IV approach and the GMM method.Practical implicationsEvidence from this study can serve as a warning signal to the investment community, highlighting that some methods aimed at enhancing a firm’s corporate social responsibility disclosures might be used to obstruct other unethical activities. Moreover, the results of this study can help regulators gain a better comprehension of firms' reporting patterns concerning corporate social responsibility initiatives. It should not only reform the corporate social responsibility regulation but also impose stronger litigation for firms to enhance the quality of corporate social responsibility disclosures.Originality/valueWe are the first to present evidence regarding the relationship between earnings opacity and corporate social responsibility disclosure in Vietnam.

Tác động của tính bất định đến tính không minh bạch của ngân hàng thương mại Việt Nam

The study examines the impact of uncertainty on bank opacity while particularly taking into account the moderating role of market structures. Using a sample of Vietnamese banks from 2007 to 2019, the paper measures uncertainty at the disaggregate level of the banking sector through the dispersion of bank shocks and regresses the bank opacity. The research introduces both structural and non-structural proxies of bank competition/concentration to better explore the role of market structures. Empirical regressions are conducted using the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique, and then verified by the least squares dummy variable corrected (LSDVC) estimator. The research result suggests that bank earnings opacity is less severe in periods of higher uncertainty. This implies that banks in a competitive markets need to reduce information asymmetry and more transparent in uncertainty.

International Board Reforms and Earnings Opacity: An Empirical Assessment of Economic Channels

International Board Reforms and Earnings Opacity: An Empirical Assessment of Economic Channels

Earnings Management and Bank Liquidity Creation in an Emerging Market

This paper empirically examines the impact of bank earnings opacity on liquidity creation. Using a sample of commercial banks in Vietnam from 2007 to 2019, we find that more opaque banks tend to reduce liquidity creation growth. We further offer sharp evidence that the impact of earnings management on bank liquidity creation depends on bank-specific characteristics. More precisely, the negative impact of bank earnings management on banks’ core function is stronger for banks that are more poorly capitalised, less liquid, smaller and less profitable. With these findings, our work display implications on the supply-side effect (i.e., the limited access to funding of financially weak banks).

Firm-level political risk and earnings opacity

Given the recent growing global uncertainties, firms have encountered increasing political risks and responded accordingly to avoid a negative impact on their performance. This study examines the impact of firm-level political risk on corporate earnings opacity among listed U.S. firms. Our empirical results reveal that higher firm-level political risk engenders greater corporate earnings opacity via three channels of market scrutiny, political proximity, and multiple business objectives. Further analyses show that politically risky firms are more prudent in earnings management when they are highly dependent on government spending. The results hold after a wide range of robustness tests. Our findings provide several implications for the management of earnings quality in response to increasing firm-level political risk in the U.S.

The Effect of Company Ownership Structure on Profit Information with Earnings Opacity as An Intervening Variable

This study aims to determine the effect of Company Ownership Structure on Profit Informative with Earnings Opacity as an intervening variable. The company's ownership structure is measured by looking at the percentage of ownership of the controlling shareholders with ownership above 50%. Earnings informativeness is measured by earnings response coefficient (ERC). Meanwhile, earnings opacity is proxied by earnings smoothing as measured using the Eckel index. The research population includes manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2016-2020 period. The sample selection method used was purposive sampling and 27 companies were selected with a total sample of 135 research data. The analysis technique used is multiple linear regression with SPSS version 25 software and path analysis with the help of an online sobel calculator. The results of this study indicate that the disclosure of Company Ownership Structure has a direct and significant negative effect on Profit Informativeness. Earnings opacity does not act as a mediator between the influence of Company Ownership Structure on Profit Informativeness.

Management‐Employee Alliance and Earnings Opacity*

ABSTRACTThe rise of stakeholder governance has triggered a wave of legal initiatives to strengthen the employee voice in firms. However, how managers trade off the competing objectives between shareholders and employees when making financial reporting decisions is not well understood. Exploiting staggered employment protection laws (EPLs) across 26 countries, we find that managers facing strong EPLs report more opaque earnings. Exploring the mechanism, we show that EPLs induce manager‐employee alliance: EPLs enhance employees' power to influence managers' private benefits and create an incentive for managers to treat employees more favorably, leading to an increase in manager‐employee reciprocal benefits. Further analysis shows that the alliance drives the increase in opacity following EPLs. Such alliance‐induced opacity impedes the ability of institutional shareholders to make timely adjustments to portfolio holdings in response to EPLs. Last, we identify several governance mechanisms that help break the manager‐employee nexus and restore reporting transparency. Overall, our study documents manager‐employee alliance as a potential cost of rigid labor laws and an important source of managerial reporting bias.

Bank opacity and stability in an emerging market

PurposeThe paper analyzes the impact of bank opacity on financial stability in an emerging economy.Design/methodology/approachBased on a unique dataset of 31 Vietnamese commercial banks from 2007 to 2019, the paper captures earnings opacity via discretionary loan loss provisions and reflects individual bank stability through the accounting-based Z-score index and its disaggregate components. The least squares dummy variable corrected (LSDVC) approach is employed for empirical analysis.FindingsIn contradiction to most studies on developed economies, earnings management improves bank financial stability in Vietnam. Earnings management is more important for the financial stability of smaller banks. Further, the effect of financial information disclosure on bank stability is strengthened by unfavorable macroeconomic conditions, particularly economic downturns, the global financial crisis and uncertain times in banking.Originality/valueThis is the first study to shed light on how bank opacity influences bank financial stability in an emerging market. The evidence with the conditioning roles of bank size and macroeconomic factors, such as uncertainty in banking, is entirely novel in the related literature. Additionally, the paper contributes to a growing body of banking literature by using the LSDVC estimator to examine the association between bank opacity and bank stability.

Economic Policy Uncertainty and Bank Stability: An Analysis Based on the Intermediary Effects of Opacity

With the background of deepening uncertainty about global and Chinese economic policy, the stability of the banking industry is of great strategic significance for promoting the high-quality development of the real economy and maintaining the order of the financial market. This paper uses the panel data of 32 commercial banks in China during the period of 2007–2020 to test the impact of economic policy uncertainty on bank stability and the mediating role of opacity. The research results show that the economic policy uncertainty has a negative impact on bank stability. Opacity plays a partial intermediary role between economic policy uncertainty and bank stability: economic policy uncertainty indirectly affects bank stability by stimulating banks to reduce market exposure and improve earnings opacity.

The Influence of Company Size on Profit Information with Profit Management and Earnings Opacity as Intervening Variables

The study aims to know the influence size of the company from informative profit to informative profit with management profit and earnings opacity to the intervening variable. Size company be measured with the natural logarithm of total assets. Informative profit proxied with earnings response coefficient. Management profit proxied with discretionary accruals. Meanwhile, earnings opacity is proxied with income smoothing. Population in the study i.e. company manufacturers listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the 2016-2020 period. The Retrieval technique sample used a purposive sampling technique where 42 companies were selected with a total sample of 210 research data. Data analysis techniques using multiple linear regression with SPSS software version 25 and analysis track use Sobel test online. Research results show that the size company, in a manner, direct have an influence positive to informative profit. However, management profit and earnings opacity have an influence negative to informative profit. Management profit and earnings opacity does not have a role as an intermediate intervening variable influencing the size company to informative gain.

How the information content of integrated reporting flows into the stock market

AbstractAccording to its advocates, integrated reporting (IR) aims to enhance firms' information environment by placing financial reporting into a much broader perspective in which interrelated non‐financial information of firms' activities are taken into consideration. We examine whether this intended outcome of IR embeds into the stock pricing process using a sample of South African listed firms that mandatorily adopted IR in 2011. Unlike previous studies that explore market valuation implications of IR, we examine the channel through which the IR‐related information flows into firm value. Specifically, we quantify the effects of revisions of expectation about future cash flows (prompted by financial reporting information), revisions of expectation about discount rates (prompted by non‐financial reporting information) and their interconnectedness. We hypothesize and empirically show that the adoption of an IR approach prompted greater market revisions of expectations about future discount rates and a stronger interconnectedness between market revisions of expectations about future cash flows and discount rates. Thus, the change in the stock pricing process after the adoption of IR is determined by non‐financial reporting information and its strong interconnectedness with financial reporting information. We also show that our results are stronger for firms with greater earnings opacity, suggesting that investors find IR more useful when firms' financial reporting is opaque. Results indicate to researchers, practitioners and regulators that IR enhances the firm‐level information environment by providing informative non‐financial reporting which is also well integrated with financial reporting.

Uncertainty, bank opacity, and market structure

PurposeThe study examines the impact of uncertainty on bank opacity while particularly taking into account the moderating role of market structures.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of Vietnamese banks from 2007 to 2019, the paper measures uncertainty at the disaggregate level of the banking sector through the dispersion of bank shocks and capture bank opacity from the perspective of bank earnings management based on discretionary loan loss provisions. The authors apply both structural and non-structural proxies of bank competition/concentration to better explore the role of market structures. Empirical regressions are conducted using the fixed effect regressions with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors and the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) technique, and then verified by the least squares dummy variable corrected (LSDVC) estimator.FindingsBank earnings opacity is less severe in periods of higher uncertainty. Further analysis documents that the negative impact of uncertainty on bank earnings opacity is stronger when the level of bank competition increases or when bank market power decreases.Originality/valueThe finding highlighting the conditioning role of market structures is entirely novel in the uncertainty-bank opacity literature. Moreover, in providing additional evidence on the significant impact of uncertainty on bank opacity, while prior related studies explore economic policy uncertainty, the authors utilize micro uncertainty in banking that exhibits enormous superiority.

Profit Opacity, Investor Legal Protection and Cost of Capital: A Conceptual Framework

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework that investigates and provides a systematic understanding of the impact of long opacity and legal protection on investors on the cost of capital. This study refers to the literature related to earnings opacity, investor legal protection and the cost of capital to ascertain the impact of profit opacity and investor legal protection on the cost of capital and the mediating role of profit opacity on the relationship between legal protection of investors and the cost of capital. This conceptual framework describes the process of congruence between earnings opacity and investor legal protection as an antecedent and consequent to the cost of capital, as well as the mediating role of earnings opacity. The results of the literature review show three propositions. This framework provides an opportunity for seekers and practitioners to further investigate the effect of profit opacity on the cost of capital and the mediating role of this profit opacity in the relationship between investor legal protection and the cost of capital..

The Effect of Earnings Opacity on Cost of Equity with Earnings Persistence as Moderating Variable

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of earnings opacity as measured by earnings aggressiveness and earnings smoothing on the cost of equity with earnings persistence as a moderating variable. This research focuses on manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2017-2021. The population used in this study amounted to 16 manufacturing companies using purposive sampling method based on certain criteria. This research uses associative technique with quantitative methodology. The technique used in collecting data is by using library research derived from the company's annual financial statements. The hypothesis test used is the Multiple Linear Regression Test and Moderated Regression Analysis using the SPSS 25 program. The results of this study show a significant positive effect of earnings aggressiveness on the cost of equity, earnings smoothing has a positive effect on the cost of equity but is not significant, earnings persistence is able to weaken the relationship between earnings aggressiveness and the cost of equity, and earnings persistence is not able to moderate the relationship between earnings smoothing and the cost of equity.

Bank business models, failure risk and earnings opacity: A short- versus long-term perspective

Despite the ongoing bank regulatory reforms, relatively little research attention has been given to the effects of bank business models and opacity of bank balance sheet structure which may hinder regulation and market discipline. In this study, we explore the effects of business model strategies on banks' earnings opacity in the UK banking sector. Distinguishing between the short-term (within) and long-term (between) effects, our findings suggest that retail-oriented business models reduce the likelihood of earnings management practices in the short term but not over the long term. In contrast, wholesale-oriented business models increase the probability of earnings manipulation both in the short and long term. While bank business models characterised by a greater degree of functional diversification tend to lower earnings manipulation in the short term, the long-term incentives cannot be mitigated. Our findings also demonstrate that low failure risk (or greater solvency) represents an important channel in mitigating the effects of business models on earnings management practices both in the short and long term. Our results are robust to alternative proxies for earnings management and failure risk, and the use of alternative methods.

Managerial Discretion, Earnings Opacity, and Stock Price Informativeness

Managerial Discretion, Earnings Opacity, and Stock Price Informativeness

Does economic policy uncertainty affect bank earnings opacity? Evidence from China

Uncertainty about economic policy (EPU) in today's interconnected world and its impact worldwide is more significant than ever before. Thus, this study examines EPU's impact on the bank's earnings opacity of the Chinese banking industry, using the two-step system GMM estimator and the time covering 2011–2018. Our finding shows a negative and statistically significant relationship between EPU and bank earnings opacity, implying that the Chinese banking sector decreases earnings opacity in times of high EPU to earn trust and show good banks’ financial image. Moreover, our finding reveals that the effect of EPU on earnings opacity relies on the banks’ financial strength. This study recommends that a policy to reduce earnings opacity should be in place and also the supervisory capability and financial regulation should be strengthened. Moreover, the regulators should be more vigilant while making economic policies during high economic uncertainties.

The Effect of Earnings Opacity and Tax Avoidance on Companies Value

Companies in Indonesia have carried out many earnings modification practices where earnings modification is the attitude of management to choose accounting policy with various purposes or motives, namely opportunistic motives and efficiency motives. Opportunistic motive if the modification aims to provide welfare for management, while the efficient motive is if it aims to increase the market value of the company. This study functions to analyze the effect of earnings opacity , tax avoidance , price earnings ratio, return on assets, and leverage on the value of food and beverage companies listed on theIDX in 2018-2020, with a sample of 15 companies based on the purposive sampling method. The research method used is a quantitative method. Analysis of the information used in this study is multiple regression analysis. The results prove that earnings opacity and tax avoidance have a negative effect on companies value

Debtholder Monitoring Incentives and Bank Earnings Opacity

AbstractWe exploit exogenous legislative changes that alter the priority structure of different classes of debt to study how debtholder monitoring incentives affect bank earnings opacity. We present novel evidence that exposing nondepositors to greater losses in bankruptcy reduces earnings opacity, especially for banks with larger shares of nondeposit funding, listed banks, and independent banks. The reduction in earnings opacity is driven by a lower propensity to overstate earnings and is more pronounced among larger banks and in banks with more real estate loan exposure. Our findings highlight the importance of creditors’ monitoring incentives in improving the quality of information disclosure.