Investor sentiments and stock marketsduring the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examines the relationship between positive and negative investor sentiments and stock market returns and volatility in Group of 20 countries using variousmethods, including panel regression with fixed effects, panel quantile regressions, apanel vector autoregression (PVAR) model, and country-specific regressions. We proxyfor negative and positive investor sentiments using the Google Search Volume Indexfor terms related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and COVID-19 vaccine, respectively. Using weekly data from March 2020 to May 2021, we document significantrelationships between positive and negative investor sentiments and stock marketreturns and volatility. Specifically, an increase in positive investor sentiment leads toan increase in stock returns while negative investor sentiment decreases stock returnsat lower quantiles. The effect of investor sentiment on volatility is consistent acrossthe distribution: negative sentiment increases volatility, whereas positive sentimentreduces volatility. These results are robust as they are corroborated by Granger causalitytests and a PVAR model. The findings may have portfolio implications as they indicatethat proxies for positive and negative investor sentiments seem to be good predictorsof stock returns and volatility during the pandemic.

Does the EVA valuation model explain the market value of equity better under changing required return than constant required return?

Through the Economic-Value-Added(EVA)valuation model,the expected market value of equity can be determined by adding the book value of equity with the present value of expected EVAs under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.The equation of EVA valuation model has taken its shape under the assumption of constant required return and constant return on equity.However,a large body of empirical evidence indicates that required rate of return never remain constant.The EVA-valuation model formulated under constant required return cannot be implemented under the scenario of changing required return.In this study,we explored whether the EVA valuation model could be implemented under changing required return by making any changes in the model and found that it could be implemented under the scenario of changing required return by replacing the book value of the equity of the existing model with the present value of required earnings or normal market earnings.We further examined whether the explanatory ability of the EVA valuation model under the assumption of changing required return is better than that of the valuation model under the assumption of constant required return.Relative information content analyses were conducted by considering sample of the intrinsic value of equities determined by valuation models and the market value of equities of 69 large-cap,88 mid-cap,and 79 small-cap companies.The results showed that the EVA-based valuation model with changing normal market return outperformed the EVA-based valuation model with constant required return.

The Mediating Effect of Corporate Governance on the Relationship Between Accounting Information and Stock Market Return of Listed Entities in Ghana

The study examined the mediating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between accounting information and stock market returns of listed entities on the Ghana Stock Exchange.The population of the study was forty(40)listed entities from 2007-2019 with 520 firm-year observations.The study applied a panel regression model that takes unobserved individual heterogeneity and distributional heterogeneity into consideration.In addition,the study employed cross-section dependence test,Levin-Lin-Chu,ImPesaran,Pesaran,Kao,and Larsson cointegration test,fully modified ordinary least square(FMOLS),and dynamic ordinary least square(DOLS).The results of unit root test showed that all the variables are integrated at first difference.Moreover,the results of cointegration test revealed that accounting information variables were cointegrated in the long run.The result of FMOLS and DOLS further revealed that all the accounting information variables with the exception of OCFPS and NTA have a direct insignificant relationship with the stock market return.The study revealed that corporate governance which was proxied by board size also strengthens the relationship between TAT and stock market return and NTA and stock market return at 5%significant level under FMOLS and DOLS respectively.

Does Board Size Mediate the Relationship Between Accounting Information and Stock Market Return?Evidence From Listed Financial Firms in Ghana

The study examined the relationship between accounting information and stock market returns of listed financial entities on the Ghana Stock Exchange using board size as a mediating variable.The population of the study was 13 listed financial entities from 2007-2019 with 169 firm-year observations.This study applied a panel regression model that takes unobserved individual heterogeneity and distributional heterogeneity into consideration.In addition,the study employed cross-section dependence test;Levin-Lin-Chu(LLC),ImPesaran,Pesaran,Kao,and Larsson cointegration test;Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square(FMOLS)and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square(DOLS).The results of the unit root test showed that all the variables were integrated at first difference.Moreover,the results of cointegration test revealed that accounting information variables were cointegrated in the long run.The result of FMOLS and DOLS revealed that all the accounting information variables with the exception of operating cash flow per share(OCFPS)and net tangible assets(NTA)have a direct insignificant relationship with the stock market return of listed financial entities.The study revealed that board size strengthens the relationship between OCFPS and NTA,and stock market return at 5%significant level under FMOLS and DOLS of listed financial entities.

Fresh Produce Supply to Hong Kong Returned to Domestic Market

With the 19th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong back to China,the fresh produce supplied to Hong Kong also returned to domestic market.Since the focus of e-commerce competition has shifted towards business model and capital input,some people have been exploring new regional markets for fresh produce and seeking improvement in produce quality,standards and

Labour market performance of young migrant workers with heterogeneous educational trajectories in China

Successful global cities present a spectrum of development strategies but share the benefit of the reciprocal dynamics between tailored education systems and matching labour markets.This paper examines burgeoning cities in China and investigates the effects of the heterogeneous educational trajectories of young migrant workers in urban China on their labour market performance.Drawing on the National Migrant Dynamics Monitoring Survey,this paper finds striking wage variations among the young migrant population.Migrant workers who attended high schools in current receiving cities earned less than their counterparts who received senior-secondary education elsewhere.Students following the academic track were better off than students following the vocational track.To further explore what has prevented the urban labour market from rewarding migrants who studied in a receiving city,where the education system is expected to better cater to the city’s specific industrial needs,we tested and found evidence of the mediating effects of job industry and occupation.In addition to engaging with empirical debates in the field,this paper develops a theoretical framework to model how the qualitative attributes of an education system affect wage variations among migrant workers.

CUSTOMER EQUITY: MAKING MARKETING STRATEGY FINANCIALLY ACCOUNTABLE

The article presents an overview of the literature on customer equity and how customer equity provides an opportunity for marketers to make marketing strategy financially accountable. Traditionally, Return on Investment (ROI) models have been used to evaluate the financial expenditures required by the strategies as well as the financial returns gained by them. However in addition to requiring lengthy longitudinal data, these models also have the disadvantage of not evaluating the effect of the strategies on a firm’s customer equity. The dominance of customer-centered thinking over product-centered thinking calls for a shift from product-based strategies to customer-based strategies. Hence, it is important to evaluate a firm’s marketing strategies in terms of the drivers of its customer equity. The article summarizes a unified strategic framework that enables competing marketing strategy options to be traded off on the basis of projected financial return, which is operationalized as the change in a firm’s customer equity relative to the incremental expenditure necessary to produce the change.