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This thesis contain three chapters. Default Risk in Corporate Bond Pricing. This chapter provides a model for how the corporate bond default risk influences the systematic risk and an empirical analysis of the systematic and idiosyncratic parts of U.S. corporate bond returns during 2001-2005. The average corporate bond beta is low and positive (0.06). Investment grade bonds have negative betas (between - 0.01 and -0.13) and non-investment grade bonds have positive betas (between 0.11 and 1.48), but both groups have similar within groups systematic risks. When controls for interest rate and liquidity risks are introduced there are still remaining default probabilities, implying that the default risk is in part systematic and in part idiosyncratic.   Returns to Defaulted Corporate Bonds.   In the second chapter short term excess returns in a sample of 279 defaulted US corporate bonds are tested for using multiple regression analysis. There are robust excess returns after controlling for market and liquidity risk. The expected recovery rate during 2001-2006 is estimated to be, on average, four percentage points lower the first month after default than the present value of the recovery rate after nine months. Capital Structure Choices.   The trade-off and pecking order theories are tested using both established tests from the literature and new tests. The main contributions of this chapter are the new tests of financing of operating net assets (for the pecking order theory), the mean reversion tests (for the trade-off theory) and the test of mean reversion and trends. These tests allow for extended conclusions on the validity of the pecking order versus the tradeoff theory. / <p>Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2008 Sammanfattning jämte 3 uppsatser</p>

The paper explores the driving forces behind corporate cash holdings by analyzing past literature and extending this research to the behavior of firms after the 2008 recession. I look at the cash to assets and net debt to assets ratios from October 1980 to October 2011 to obtain an understanding of the past and current state of cash holdings. A comprehensive literature review is done on agency costs and transactional motives to give the reader an overview of the costs and benefits of holding cash. This provides the foundation for the precautionary motives for companies today to keep cash as a risk management tool.

This thesis further investigates the effectiveness of 15 variable moving average strategies that mimic the trading rules used in the study by Brock, Lakonishok, and LeBaron (1992). Instead of applying these strategies to developed markets, unique characteristics of emerging markets offer opportunity to investors that warrant further research. Before transaction costs, all 15 variable moving average strategies outperform the naïve benchmark strategy of buying and holding different emerging market ETF's over the volatile period of 858 trading days. However, the variable moving averages perform poorly in the "bubble" market cycle. In fact, sell signals become more unprofitable than buy signals are profitable. Furthermore, variations of 4 of 5 variable moving average strategies demonstrate significant prospects of returning consistent abnormal returns after adjusting for transaction costs and risk.

Background: The value of stock recommendations have been debated for a century andthe debate has escalated since Alfred Cowles (1933) published his research in “Can StockMarket Forecasters Forecast”? As of late, savings in stocks has increased and the householdsare managing their savings more actively. The consequence of the increased interestin stocks has resulted in a growing market for stock recommendations. Not just financialmedia but daily newspapers have embraced this new found interest, hence stock recom-mendations can be found in almost all large newspapers in Sweden. Furthermore, this phe-nomenon has also lead to intensified research within stock recommendations. Researchers have under the 20th and 21st century investigated a wide number of issues concerning stock recommendations. The most common issue with different angles has been whether stockrecommendations generate abnormal returns or not? Earlier research on this issue havehowever mostly been based on the American stock market. According to us, not enoughnational research has been done on whether stock recommendations generate abnormal returnsor not on the Swedish stock market. Further we think that there is a lack of research with regards to a short time span. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether stock recommendations on Nasdaq OMXSLarge-Mid-Small CAP, First North and Aktietorget generate abnormal returns? Central for the study is to investigate if stock recommendation generates abnormal returns in the short-term. Secondary the study will also investigate stock recommendations effect on stock prices in the long run. Method: First step was to create databases from high frequency data, 10 minute OHLCVbars, and from closing prices. Thereafter use these as a base for statistical calculations. Conclusion: The results from this study show that analysts have succeeded with generat-ing significant abnormal returns with their recommendations. Above all it is the business journals buy recommendations that generate the highest abnormal return. Sell recommen-dations didn’t give high significant results in our measurements. Our results also show thatabnormal returns from buy recommendations are sufficiently high and the transaction costsare sufficiently low so that investors can capitalize on the analyses. We found that buy recommendations effect companies noted on Small Cap etc to a higher extent than companies noted on Large- and Mid-Cap because of the lower degree of transparency in the smaller companies. Our results also indicate that the weekly magazines generate approximatelyequal abnormal returns. The monthly generates the lowest abnormal returns in our study. In our research we also found that buy recommendations that are published when thestock market has a positive momentum perform better than when the stock market has anegative momentum. We also found that investor should closely monitor the information flow before the recommendation is published, since a positive information flow can have afavorable outcome on the size of the abnormal return. Last but not least, we observe a correlationbetween the numbers of investors the recommendation reaches and the magnitudeof the observed abnormal return. / Bakgrund: Värdet av aktierekommendationer har debatterats i snart ett sekel, och debat-ten har eskalerat ända sedan Alfred Cowles (1933) publicerade sin forskning ”Can StockMarket Forecasters Forecast?" De senaste åren har sparandet i aktier ökat och hushållenblir allt aktivare i sitt pensionssparande. Konsekvensen av det ökade intresset för sparande iaktier har resulterat i en växande marknad för aktierekommendationer. Inte bara finansiellmedia utan också dagliga tidskrifter har tagit till sig detta ökade intresse och nästan samtligastörre dagstidningar publicerar numera aktierekommendationer. Vidare har detta fenomen också lett till att forskningen kring aktierekommendationer intensifierats de senaste decennierna.Forskare har under 1900-talet och 2000-talet undersökt en mängd olika problem-ställningar kring aktierekommendationer. Varav den vanligaste problemställningen med varierandevinklar, har varit huruvida aktierekommendationer genererar överavkastning ellerej? Tidigare forskning har dock framförallt baserats på den amerikanska aktiemarknaden. I vår mening råder det brist på nationell forskning som visar huruvida aktierekommendatio-ner genererar överavkastning på bolag noterade på svenska marknadsplatser. Vidare råderdet brist på forskning som tar hänsyn till det korta tidsperspektivet. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka huruvida aktierekommendationer på Nasdaq OMXS Large-Mid-Small CAP och First North samt Aktietorget genererar överavkastning? Centralt för studien är attundersöka om aktierekommendationer är kursdrivande på kort sikt, Sekundärt kommer också studienundersöka aktierekommendationers inverkan på aktiekurser på lång sikt. Metod: Första steget var att konstruera databaser från högfrekvensdata, 10M OHLCVbars, och stängningskurser. Därefter använda dessa som grund för statistiska beräkningar. Slutsats: Resultat från vår studie visar att ekonomijournalister har lyckats med att genererasignifikant överavkastning med deras rekommendationer. Framför allt är det affärstidskrifternasköprekommendationer som genererar högst överavkastning. Säljrekommendationergav ett lägre signifikant utslag i våra mätningar. Våra resultat indikerar också på att överavkastningen från köprekommendationer är tillräckligt hög och transaktionskostnaderna tillräckligtlåga för att investerare skall kunna kapitalisera på rekommendationerna. Vi finneratt köprekommendationer är mer kursdrivande på Small Cap etc. än bolag noterade på Lar-ge- och Mid Cap på grund av den lägre graden av transparens i de mindre bolagen. Våra resultatpekar också på att Affärsvärlden, Börsveckan &amp; Veckans affärer genererar ungefärlika stor överavkastning. Aktiespararen &amp; Privata Affärer genererar den lägsta överavkastningeni våra mätningar. I våra efterforskningar ser vi också en stark tendens för att aktiersom rekommenderas när börsen har ett positivt momentum presterar bättre än aktier somrekommenderas när börsen har ett negativt momentum. Vi finner också att investerare börbeakta informationsflödet innan rekommendationstidpunkten då ett positivt informations-flöde kan får en gynnsam effekt på överavkastningens storlek. Sist men inte minst observe-rar vi en korrelation mellan antalet investerare rekommendationen når och magnituden påden observerade överavkastningen.

When a company sells shares of their business to the public for the first time, it is called an Initial Public Offering, IPO. The IPO is usually conducted by the issuing firm to raise capital for their future growth. Before the IPO the information about the issuing company is often limited and the investment in an IPO is associated with risks. The investors who choose to invest in an IPO are therefore usually compensated with a discount on the shares and often experience a first day positive return. This first day positive return is the definition of underpricing. If the majority of the IPOs are underpriced it should be of interest for an investor to take part of this opportunity and use it as an investment strategy. This thesis investigates if there is a way to predict which IPOs that will generate a positive first day return based on the information in the IPO prospect. / En IPO är det första erbjudandet av företagets aktier till den publika marknaden. En IPO genomförs ofta i samband med att företaget behöver ta in nytt kapital för framtida investeringar. Innan ett företag blir publikt är informationsinsynen begränsad vilket medför en risk för den som vill investera i det initiala erbjudandet. Investerarna som väljer att investera i erbjudandet är ofta kompenserade med en rabatt på aktierna och får då ofta en positiv avkastning på första handelsdagen. Denna initiala avkastning definieras som underprissättningen av erbjudandet. Om en majoritet av börsnoteringarna är underprissatta skulle det vara av stort intresse för investerare att upprepande investera i IPOs och ha detta som investeringsstrategi. Den här uppsatsen undersöker om det går att förutspå vilka IPOs som genererar en positiv avkastning första handelsdagen baserat på den informationen som finns att tillgå i IPO prospektet. / Civilekonom-uppsats

While the importance of venture capital (VC) can be highlighted by policy goals outlined in the 'Lisbon agenda', the European VC industry remains nascent in comparison to the more sophisticated VC market in the US. Researchers have identified key determinants that foster VC success on a broad level, and have often identified syndication as an important factor of success. This paper seeks to understand the role of syndication on the VC-backed company's success. I take a novel departure from past research in this area in three ways 1) I measure performance from the perspective of the portfolio company, rather than the VC firm which invests in the company 2) I isolate syndication in the first financing round and 3) I utilize a logistical model as well as a simultaneous equation model for which I introduce an instrumental variable. I gather VC data for both Europe and the US from the VentureXpert database to test various hypotheses regarding syndication. The results are significant and provide evidence to support that syndication in the first financing round is associated with greater success in achieving IPO exit in both regions. This should encourage VC firms, VC-backed companies, and policymakers to increase the practice of VC syndication in early financing rounds, thereby providing access to greater long-term growth opportunities. This paper adds to the existing, but limited, literature base on cross-region venture capital syndication.

This paper focuses on the problem of collapsed “stay in the market” (SIM) beliefs during financial crises. The primary purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether or not inoculation messages represent a viable communication strategy to preemptively protect SIM beliefs during forthcoming financial crises. Ancillary purposes of this study were to further investigate the role of print and video crises, explicit instructions regarding post-inoculation talk (PIT), and gain and loss frame inoculation messages on the inoculation process. This study used a between subjects factorial design (3 x 2 plus four additional conditions) to explore ten hypotheses. Data collected from 513 participants were analyzed using multivariate and univariate tests and planned comparisons. The results of this investigation indicate that inoculation messages can serve as a viable preemptive crisis communication strategy, that inoculation can protect beliefs equally well when the crisis message is presented through video or print, and that employing a loss frame can strengthen the inoculation process. Mixed results regarding PIT call for further research. Research and practical implications, as well as limitations, are discussed.

År 2000 blev det möjligt för svenska börsnoterade bolag att göra återköp av egna aktier. Detta har medfört ytterligare en möjlighet för hur bolagen kan distribuera den vinst de gör vid brist på andra gynnsamma investeringar. Under perioden 2000 till 2013 har 139 olika bolag genomfört återköp av egna aktier och bland dessa bolag varierar mängden återköpta aktier och antalet genomförda återköpsprogram kraftigt. Aktiebolagslagen sätter ramarna för återköpet och per återköpsprogram får maximalt tio procent av det totala aktiekapitalet köpas tillbaka. Bolagstämman beslutar om återköp skall bli aktuellt och beslutet sträcker sig som längst till nästa bolagsstämma. Sedan 2010 finns en utredning hos regeringen där det föreslås att ta bort tioprocentsspärren och låta det stå bolagen fritt att återköpa hur mycket aktier de vill. Detta examensarbete syftar till att undersöka den svenska markanden och att bidra i debatten och belysa ett område som ej tidigare har undersökts, nämligen sambandet mellan de bolag som genomför återköp av egna aktier samt hur ägarandelen i grupperna styrelsen, ledningen och verkställande direktör påverkas före och efter återköpen. Vidare analyser i den här studien inkluderar 126 av de 139 bolagen. Tretton bolag har exkluderats på grund av bristande uppgifter eller att årsredovisningar helt saknas. Materialet kategoriseras efter dels hur återköpen genomförs; ett enda program, flera program i följd alternativt spridda program, dels efter storlek på bolag enligt SmallCap, MidCap och LargeCap. Vidare analyseras sambandet mellan den genomsnittliga ökningen av det egna innehavet hos bolagets styrelse, ledning och verkställande direktör samt ägarandelen, bolagets storlek och återköpsstrategi. Den slutliga analysen bygger på de bolag som gjort flera återköpsprogram samt där styrelse och VD tillsammans ökat sitt genomsnittliga egna aktieinnehav per återköpsprogram. Vår studie visar ett signifikant samband utifrån den avsedda beroendevariabeln, den genomsnittliga ägarandelen för styrelse och VD samt ett signifikant negativt samband med storlekskategorin largecap. Vilket innebär att den genomsnittliga ökningen i innhav per återköpsprogram delvis kan förklaras genom hur stor ägarandelen var innan återköpet samt bolagets storlek. Även grupptillhörighet, det vill säga typ av återköpsstrategi, har ett samband men detta placerar sig strax under en signifikansnivå på 90 procent. / In the year of 2000 the Swedish government changed a part of the Swedish Companies Act and made it possible for swedish listed companies to repurchase a maximum of ten percent of their own shares. Up until today 139 companies have chosen to use this possibility to distribute some of their profit. Out of the 139 companies thirteen companies are excluded due to missing data, 126 companies remains in further studies of this paper. The pattern of the repurchase varies in three different systems; one share repurchase program alone, several consecutive share repurchase programs and several scattered share repurchase programs. We aim to study if there is a connection between the way the companies repurchase their own shares and the change in ownership within the board, CEO and company management. Our study show that a higher concentration of ownership within the board and CEO has a significant positive effect on the average increase of own shares per program. Also largecap firms has a significant negative effect on the average increase per program.

I present an empirical model that is based upon the findings of both the conceptual and empirical models of previous research. I first control for independent property, location, macroeconomic and capital market specific variables on the dependent variables that takes on the form of both the cap rate and sales price. Next I introduce two new variables that represent the transaction constraint and the default risk of the tenant. I find that the variable market which represents the time an individual property is on the market is statistically significant and has a negative coefficient of when regressed on sales price and a positive coefficient when regressed on the cap rate. When the market variable is further broken into bins, I found that the time on the market does not negatively impact a property unless it is in fact on the market for over 2 years. When the variable representing a tenant’s default risk is regressed on the cap rate I found the tenants probability of default to be statistically significant with a negative coefficient. This result is counter intuitive and most likely represents the data set being controlled for investment grade credit rated tenants.