The Chinese stock market is a remarkable emerging market, the two stock markets Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges were both established in 1990, and since then they have been playing a very important role in Chinese economy. More and more attention is focused on the emerging Chinese market, and investors have been trying to find the opportunity to achieve abnormal returns through the Chinese stock market. We name this phenomenon market efficiency anomaly, one pattern of which is seasonality effect. In our study, we would like to choose the seasonality effect as the approach. This study focuses on Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index, and we settle two research questions: Does seasonality effect exist in Chinese Stock exchange? Is the seasonality effect persistent over times?We try to test the seasonality in Chinese stock market by day of the week effect, January effect and semi-month effect. Deductive approach and quantitative research method are used in this thesis. To analyze seasonality effect, the data has been collected from Shanghai Stock Exchange Index and has been tested in four periods: 1992-1996,1997-2001, 2002-2006 and the whole period 1992-2006. Null hypothesis and T-test with α=0.05 is used to test the seasonality effect. The results show that seasonal anomalies like Day of the week effect, positive March effect, and negative July effect exist in the Chinese stock market, while semi-month effect does not occur significantly; but the existing seasonal effect is not persistent over times. The above indicates that the Chinese stock market is not fully efficient yet. Investors may have opportunities to make use of the seasonal anomalies to earn abnormal return.

Post earnings announcement drift (PEAD) is defined as the drift that occurs in a company’s share priceafter their earnings announcement. A company that reports earnings above (below) the analysts’expectations should, according to previous studies of PEAD, continue to drift upwards (downwards)after the announcement. (Ball & Brown, 1968) The thesis purpose is to investigate if PEAD existed onthe Swedish market between 2006-2010. We test PEAD’s existences through; (i) creating portfolios inwhich companies’ abnormal return (AR) we expect to decline or increase, (ii) doing a multiple regressionanalysis to test if the drift is statistically significant. From the results of our study, we can neither acceptnor reject the hypothesis that PEAD existed on the Swedish market, although the multiple regressionanalysis prove a statistically significant result for companies’ AR that we expect to decline have drifted3,11% in a negative direction compared to our total sample.

Markets have an important role to play in advancing an improved understanding of international trading relationships. Two most important economic issues, which contribute to improved national welfare and ensure long-run competitive market equilibrium in international markets, are market integration and market efficiency. To provide softwood lumber markets related information to the policy makers, economic analyses relating market integration and market efficiency of the combined markets of Canada and the US have been conducted. The economic analyses include: (i) testing cointegration of prices among North American softwood lumber markets; (ii) identifying price leading markets in long-run price structure of these cointegrated markets; (iii) examining the degree of market integration among these markets; and (iv) testing the efficiency of spatial arbitrage among these markets. First, the price linkages in the North American softwood lumber markets have been explored over different trade regimes. The results indicate that market integration is affected by product aggregation of data. Further investigations of market integration are, therefore, limited to homogeneous softwood lumber product markets. Second, oligopsonistic pricing behavior of traders is identified as the possible reason for imperfect competition among Douglas Fir product markets, while imperfect competition among the markets of Spruce-Pine-Fir and Hem Fir products can not be explained by this behavior. Third, a comprehensive picture of the adherence to price parity is formulated by evaluating the magnitude and persistence of deviations from equilibrium relation of prices. It is found that large volumes of trade, product substitutability, lower prices, and certainty of trade are the factors which contribute to higher degree of market integration among North American softwood lumber product markets. Finally, the inter-temporal shifts in regime probabilities of competitive market equilibrium are assessed over different trade regimes. It is found that lower transaction costs, large volumes of trade, short distances between markets, and certainty of trade contribute to high market efficiency among softwood lumber product markets of North America.

Markets have an important role to play in advancing an improved understanding of international trading relationships. Two most important economic issues, which contribute to improved national welfare and ensure long-run competitive market equilibrium in international markets, are market integration and market efficiency. To provide softwood lumber markets related information to the policy makers, economic analyses relating market integration and market efficiency of the combined markets of Canada and the US have been conducted. The economic analyses include: (i) testing cointegration of prices among North American softwood lumber markets; (ii) identifying price leading markets in long-run price structure of these cointegrated markets; (iii) examining the degree of market integration among these markets; and (iv) testing the efficiency of spatial arbitrage among these markets. First, the price linkages in the North American softwood lumber markets have been explored over different trade regimes. The results indicate that market integration is affected by product aggregation of data. Further investigations of market integration are, therefore, limited to homogeneous softwood lumber product markets. Second, oligopsonistic pricing behavior of traders is identified as the possible reason for imperfect competition among Douglas Fir product markets, while imperfect competition among the markets of Spruce-Pine-Fir and Hem Fir products can not be explained by this behavior. Third, a comprehensive picture of the adherence to price parity is formulated by evaluating the magnitude and persistence of deviations from equilibrium relation of prices. It is found that large volumes of trade, product substitutability, lower prices, and certainty of trade are the factors which contribute to higher degree of market integration among North American softwood lumber product markets. Finally, the inter-temporal shifts in regime probabilities of competitive market equilibrium are assessed over different trade regimes. It is found that lower transaction costs, large volumes of trade, short distances between markets, and certainty of trade contribute to high market efficiency among softwood lumber product markets of North America.

Den här studien undersöker hur vinstvarningar påverkar stora och små företag. För att förklara dess påverkan på företagen har den effektiva marknadshypotesen och behavioral finance använts som grund. Avgränsningen har gjorts till Stockholmsbörsen då inga tidigare studier haft fokus på den. Empirin visar att företag i Large Cap påverkas med i snitt -4,63% och företagen i Small Cap med -8,42%. Large Cap visade signifikanta abnorma avkastningar under eventdatumet och dagen efter medan Small Cap endast visade signifikans under eventdatumet. Vid en portföljjämförelse mellan de två listorna ligger resultatet i linje med den effektiva marknadsteorin. Däremot vid detaljerade mappningar av företagens aktier kan anomalier hittas som kan förklaras av olika psykologiska fenomen inom behavioral finance. / This paper studies how profit warnings affect largeand small companies. The efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance was used in orderto explain the affect of the profit warnings on the companies’ stocks. The boundary wasdetermined to be the Stockholm OMX since no previous studies had been performed in this particular fashion. The data demostrates that companies within Large Cap are affected with an average of -4,63% and the companies in Small Cap with -8,42%. Large Cap showed significantabnormal returns during the event date and the day after while Small Cap only showed significance during the event date. A portfolio comparison between the two lists reveals results that are in line with the efficient market hypothesis. However when using detailed data of thecompanies stocks some anomalies can be found, which can be explained by psychological phenomena within behavioral finance.

Syfte: Studien undersöker om det finns ett samband mellan ekonomiska indikatorer och den årliga aktieavkastningen ett år framåt på den svenska marknaden för företag som genomfört nyemission och jämförs med en benchmark som består av företag som inte genomfört nyemission. Metod: Uppsatsen utgår från en kvantitativ undersökning där multipel regressionsanalys används för att undersöka sambandet mellan indikatorer och aktieavkastningen vid nyemissioner under tidsperioden 2002 – 2010. Slutsats: Utifrån resultaten kunde vissa signifikanta samband konstateras mellan indikatorerna och totalavkastningen för nyemissionsgruppen. Det visade att totalavkastningen sjunker det året företag genomför nyemission jämfört med totalavkastningen året innan nyemissionen. Det kunde konstateras att marknaden är ineffektiv till en viss utsträckning i samband med nyemissioner. För benchmark kunde resultaten dock inte säkerställas på grund av att statistisk felkälla förekom i regressionsmodellen. / Purpose: The study examines if there is any significant relationship between predictors and the one year ahead stock returns in the Swedish market for company that have issued new equity and it is compared to a benchmark consisting of companies that have not made any new equity issues. Method: The essay is based on a quantitative study where a multiple regression analysis is used to examine the relationship between predictors and stock returns for company that have issued new equity during a time period of 2002 – 2010. Conclusion: Based on the results significant relationship between some predictors and stock returns could be found for the new equity issue group of company. It showed that stock returns decline the same year companies issue new equity compared to the year before new equity is issued. It was noted that the market is inefficient to a certain extent in the new equity issues matter. As for the benchmark the results could not be ensured and interpreted due to statistical errors occurring in the regression model.

The main aim of this thesis is to analyze the behavior of stock price on ex-dividend day in London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange and draw a conclusion about the market efficiency based. We collect 200 sample companies dividend, ex-dividend day and cum dividend day stock price to compare with NYSE composite index and FTSE 100 for London Stock Exchange.   To answer the research question and specific purpose of our thesis we developed five null hypothesis based on raw price ratio (RPR), market-adjusted price ratio (MAPR), raw price drop ratio (RPD), market-adjusted price drop ratio (MAPD) and market-adjusted abnormal return (MAAR). We used t-statistic to find the mean differences between observed values and standard values. We also show multiple regression analysis to show the relationship between ex-dividend day stock price and dividend, cum-dividend day stock price.   This thesis documented that same amount of stock price drop in 2008 New York Stock Exchange compare with dividend amount. In this case our null hypothesis accepted. On the other hand in London Stock Exchange shows higher drop of stock price than dividend amount in 2008 against the taxation rate rules of prior study. In 2007 both stock market shows the less drop of stock price than dividend amount. Therefore our null hypothesis rejected. We also documented that London Stock Exchange more volatile than New York Stock Exchange to consider the MAAR, tax rate and standard deviation. So we find significant evidence of market abnormal return which create an opportunity of market inefficiency and arbitrage opportunity for investors.   So, our thesis output shows mixed evidence for London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange.

This dissertation modifies the model of Yang and Ng (1995) to investigate the condition of the emergence of the firm from a specialized exchange economy. It is assumed in this dissertation that there are fixed costs involved in the operation of a firm. After taking into account of this factor, I re-examine its effects on the division of labor and the structure of firm following Yang and Ng¡¦s framework. The model adopts an inframarginal framework to analyze the subject, in which a firm demonstrates diminishing returns, while both the final labor input and the intermediate labor input demonstrates increasing returns defined upon individuals. However, it is assumed that only the final labor input has the economies of specialization. It is argued in this dissertation that the existence of fixed learning costs may stimulate the economy to undergo structural changes if suitable conditions are met, which are largely related to relative market efficiency between markets.

The aim of this master&rsquo / s thesis is to estimate the return performance of insiders (persons or firms liable for announcing their transactions to the public in accordance with the Capital Markets Board decrees) from their transactions and assess whether outsiders can earn abnormal returns by following reported insider transactions. In the study, Rolling Portfolio Approach has been implemented. As a result of the analysis made, when the purchases and sales of insiders are considered together, it has been observed that they, generally, cannot earn abnormal positive returns from their transactions or that they earn positive abnormal returns in the short periods that follow their transactions. When the returns of the portfolios consisting of stocks of which the insiders are the net purchasers or net sellers are taken into consideration, it has been perceived that the portfolios made up of stocks of which the insiders are net buyers cannot earn daily positive abnormal returns or that they earn daily positive abnormal returns in the short periods following their transactions. In the meantime, net sale portfolios earn statistically significant abnormal negative returns over longer holding periods. On the other hand, it has been perceived that investors replicating insider transactions, in general, cannot earn abnormal returns by employing an investment strategy founded on following the purchases and sales of insiders together. Moreover, it has been observed that an investment strategy based on buying the stocks of which the insiders are the net purchasers does not bring abnormal positive returns or that it can bring abnormal positive returns in the brief periods after the transactions. In contrast, it has been observed that, generally, in the sample period analyzed in the study, by avoiding buying or selling stocks of which the insiders are the net sellers, outsiders can evade daily negative abnormal returns. Findings of this thesis have important implications for the efficiency of the Istanbul Stock Exchange. Results indicate that the Istanbul Stock Exchange is not Semi Strong or Strong Form Efficient.

The author used Put-Call-Futures Parity, Arbitrage-Free, Ex-ante Tests and Ex-post Tests to examine the arbitrage opportunity and market efficiency of the TAIEX index futures (TX) and the TAIEX index options (TXO) in this paper, during the period of December 24th, 2001 to December 31st, 2002. The author first, used daily closing prices to test for the existence of possible arbitrage opportunities. Second, she used ex-ante tests and arbitrage strategy to examine the arbitrage opportunity whether it exists or not with a time lag. Furthermore, The author classified the samples which exist ex-post arbitrage profit into five sub-samples according to call options positions belonging to near-the-money and far-from-the-money, futures positions belonging to positive basis and negative basis, markets belonging to bull markets and bear markets, and different margin requirement. She used ex-post and ex-ante tests to compare the results of over-all markets samples with the sub-samples, then, she also examined the results of included transaction cost or not. The major findings are as follows: 1. Whether taking into transaction cost or not, the TAIEX index futures and the TAIEX index options markets have arbitrage opportunity¡Aand so the markets unefficient. 2. The results of ex-ante tests and the average of arbitrage profit are positive for time to increase. 3. The long arbitrage strategy generates a higher arbitrage profit than the short arbitrage strategy. 4. The investors could proceed arbitrage profit during markets belonging to positive basis and bear market and low margin requirement.