Do dividends signal future earnings in the Nordic stock markets?

We study the informational content of dividends on three Nordic civil law markets, where other simultaneous but blurring motives for dividends may be weaker. Using aggregate data on real earnings per share and payout ratios, long time series from 1969 to 2010, and methodologies which address problems of endogeneity, non-stationarity and autocorrelation (including a Vector Error Correction Model approach), we find evidence on dividend signaling in Nordic markets. However, we also find heterogeneity in the relationship between dividends and earnings on markets similar in many respects, suggesting that even small variations in the institutional surroundings may be important for the results

Risk Factors and Short-Term Outcome of Birth Asphyxiated Babies in Dhaka Medical College Hospital

Background: Perinatal asphyxia is the most important preventable cause of cerebral injury in the neonatal period leading to very high neonatal mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Little can be done for a baby affected by severe perinatal asphyxia. So, prevention is unquestionably desired. Objective: To identify the maternal and fetal risk factors for the development of birth asphyxiated babies and to see the short term outcome of the affected babies. Methods: An analytical type of or observational study was done in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of Dhaka Medical College Hospital from October 2003 to March 2004. Identification of the risk factors was done by retrospective comparison of the cases and controls. Outcome was analyzed by cross sectional comparative study. One hundred consecutive cases of birth asphyxia, admitted in SCBU, were enrolled in the study. Another 30 neonates admitted during this period for other reasons (i.e., jaundice, septicemia, low birth weight) were taken as control. Necessary information were collected by detailed history taking, clinical examination and close follow up o