Stock Buyback Announcements: An Examination of Abnormal Returns in Stock Price & Credit Default Swaps for S&P100 Companies

This event study examines the short-run effect of stock buyback announcements on stock price and credit default swaps (CDS) exclusively for mega capitalization S&P 100 companies. The research sample consists of 53 S&P 100 companies and includes 133 buyback announcement events occurring between September 2011 and May 2018. The study utilizes the market model to estimate expected returns and to compute abnormal returns (AR) for equity and abnormal change (AC) in CDS. Based on an initial analysis, it’s determined that there is a statistically significant AR and cumulative abnormal return (CAR) for stock price, and a significant AC in CDS, on a buyback announcement date. Regarding share price, AR and CAR were further tested for significance against an array of firm-specific control variables, for the event date and subsequent days. Additionally, robustness tests were employed. All results demonstrate that stock buyback announcements are significantly correlated with AR in stock price. As for CDS, an identical research process was conducted. However, while there is also preliminary evidence that stock buyback announcements impact CDS on the event date, the results are less conclusive when assessing the AC and CAC against control variables. Throughout the paper, all data and research findings will be discussed, along with a comprehensive literature review. Finally, conclusions will be drawn and interpretations are offered

Fair Value Accounting: Affect On The Auditing Profession

During this period of global markets, multinational corporations are demanding financial accounting standards with enhanced uniformity. In an effort to achieve this objective, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) have been working together on the Convergence Project, aiming to develop accounting standards that closely correlate with international financial reporting standards.  In September 2006 and February 2007, the FASB issued two key fair value accounting (FVA) standards which focused on providing guidelines for fair value measurement (through a classification hierarchy), expanding disclosure requirements, and also allowing business entities to increase FVA’s application.  However, the recent financial crisis has placed increased scrutiny on estimates derived under FVA.  Consequently, a spotlight has been placed on the auditing profession, as the effectiveness of an auditor’s ability to test estimates derived under FVA has been questioned due to numerous firms approaching collapse in the midst of the credit crisis.  Thus, the purpose of this paper is to present the challenges auditors face when auditing FV estimates, and to discuss the profession’s capability of adapting to FVA in the future.&nbsp

The Evaluation of The Implementation of Fair Value Accounting: Impact on Financial Reporting

The accounting industry is in a state of continuous change. In the United States, the historical cost principle has traditionally been the foundation of accounting. Until recently, assets and liabilities have been required to be recorded at their acquisition prices, with the exception of designated financial assets and financial liabilities. However, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has now created accounting standards that are distant from the cost principle. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157: Fair Value Measurements, issued in September 2006 (FAS157, now codified as ASC 820) and Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159: The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, created in February 2007 (FAS159, now ASC 825-10-25), significantly increases the viability of fair value accounting. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the benefits and pitfalls of fair value and the corresponding affects on various stakeholders

An Assessment Of The Impact Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act On The Investigating Violations Of The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, a plethora of corporate scandals occurred. Due to these corporate debacles, corporate executives have been placed under fire. In response to such unethical conduct with regard to internal practices and financial reporting, legislation has been passed in order to ensure that corporations conduct their business in an ethical manner. The purpose of this paper is to assess the connection between the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOx), to determine whether SOx has influenced the FCPA’s investigative violation activities by examining the number of such investigations since the passage SOx. This paper also addresses specific cases of violations of anti-corruption laws and compares SOx and the FCPA on violation penalties

The Sarbanes Oxley Act\u27s Contribution to Curtailing Corporate Bribery

In the wake of corporate scandals occurring in the early 2000s, a need for stricter regulation was deemed necessary by the investors of U.S. public companies. In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SoX) was created. Accordingly, under the rules of SoX, U.S. corporations were faced with increased oversight and also needed to substantially improve their internal controls. As companies began to scrutinize their internal affairs more closely, some businesses detected other forms of criminal activity occurring internally, such as bribery. Those companies and individuals found to have committed bribery have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA). Throughout this paper, a plausible correlation between SoX and a recent increase in reported violations of the FCPA will be assessed. This possibility is evaluated via a presentation of cases involving multinational corporations that have been found to have violated the FCPA. Based on the authors’ research, a pattern does exist between SoX and the enforcement of the FCPA. Finally, suggestions to modify the punishment for companies found guilty of committing bribery are also presented

The Sarbanes Oxley Acts Contribution To Curtailing Corporate Bribery

In the wake of corporate scandals occurring in the early 2000s, a need for stricter regulation was deemed necessary by the investors of U.S. public companies. In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SoX) was created. Accordingly, under the rules of SoX, U.S. corporations were faced with increased oversight and also needed to substantially improve their internal controls. As companies began to scrutinize their internal affairs more closely, some businesses detected other forms of criminal activity occurring internally, such as bribery. Those companies and individuals found to have committed bribery have violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA). Throughout this paper, a plausible correlation between SoX and a recent increase in reported violations of the FCPA will be assessed. This possibility is evaluated via a presentation of cases involving multinational corporations that have been found to have violated the FCPA. Based on the authors research, a pattern does exist between SoX and the enforcement of the FCPA. Finally, suggestions to modify the punishment for companies found guilty of committing bribery are also presented

An Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Fair Value Accounting: Impact On Financial Reporting

The accounting industry is in a state of continuous change.  In the United States, the historical cost principle has traditionally been the foundation of accounting.  Until recently, assets and liabilities have been required to be recorded at their acquisition prices, with the exception of designated financial assets and financial liabilities.  However, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has now created accounting standards that are distant from the cost principle.  Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157: Fair Value Measurements, issued in September 2006 (FAS157, now codified as ASC 820) and Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159: The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, created in February 2007 (FAS159, now ASC 825-10-25), significantly increases the viability of fair value accounting. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the benefits and pitfalls of fair value and the corresponding affects on various stakeholders.  &nbsp

Restatement VS Revision: A Case Study

There had been many recent cases of restatements of financial statements by US Corporations. Recently an article in the Wall Street Journal mentioned restatements by Bank of America, Nike and Alphabet among the 663 companies that filed financial revisions or restatements last year. Interestingly the frequency of these errors has more than doubled since 2002, when the Sarbanes-Oxley corporategovernance law was enacted, partly to increase managerial accountability. We will also examine what are the differences between restatements and revisions. We will examine what are the most common mistakes. Over half of last year’s corrections involved debt and equity, cash flows or taxes. Many of these issues are also major differences between US GAAP and IFRS, making comparison with international firms even more difficult. We will try to explain why a frim chooses a restatement or revision to announce the correction of errors

Fair Value Measurement: What’s New? Teaching Note

As the international economic landscape has become increasingly integrated, the argument for the development of uniform global accounting standards now exists. In an effort to achieve this objective, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, as part of the ongoing Convergence Project with the International Accounting Standards Board, released groundbreaking accounting standards, FAS157 & FAS159, in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Modeled after an international accounting standard, these standards pertain to the use of fair value accounting (FVA), and are the first of their kind as they provide a definition of FVA and an option to expand its use to certain financial instruments. While FVA has been argued to enhance financial reporting, there has also been significant controversy as to its application and ambiguity. The focus of this teaching note is to discuss FVA’s application to assets and liabilities, and to present the various effects that the election of the FV Option may have on an entity’s financial statements

An Assessment of the Impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on the Investigation Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, a plethora of corporate scandals occurred. Due to these corporate debacles, corporate executives have been placed under fire. In response to such unethical conduct with regard to internal practices and financial reporting, legislation has been passed in order to ensure that corporations conduct their business in an ethical manner. The purpose of this paper is to assess the connection between the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOx), to determine whether SOx has influenced the FCPA’s investigative violation activities by examining the number of such investigations since the passage SOx. This paper also addresses specific cases of violations of anti-corruption laws and compares SOx and the FCPA on violation penalties