This thesis presents two different types of stock trading for a small investor. First described method focuses on stocks from abroad, where with the help of technical analysis a portfolio is constructed. This portfolio is to be traded with the strategy of pair trading or sometimes also called statistical arbitrage. This method is not very well known, so the thesis gives enough space to explain how the system exactly works. Second strategy puts focus on stocks from Prague Stock Exchange and their trading as dividend stocks. Unlike the first strategy, this one presents the fundamental analysis and longterm investment. The emphasis is in both strategies put on easily managable portfolio and its good revenue.

This research links together disparate literature on family and nonfamily firms, large and small firms, and risk for small firms. The literature is not coherent in one theme: whether family firms operate with greater risk relative to nonfamily firms. Yet the literature finds performance advantage to family firms without an explanation of why family firms on average generate better accounting returns and values relative to nonfamily firms other than for reduced agency costs translated into value. The first essay examines two measures of risk--debt ratio and idiosyncratic risk--of small publicly held family firms relative to nonfamily firms to investigate differences in financial risk between them. Using a unique hand-collected data set of small family and nonfamily firms, I analyze certain firm characteristics (family ownership, family member on the board, size, and dual class status) and find that family and nonfamily firms do not differ in their book-based debt ratios but do differ in their market-based debt ratios. Specifically, I find that family firms that tightly control voting rights through dual class status have higher debt ratios and hence have higher risk than nonfamily firms. Furthermore, I find a positive relation between idiosyncratic risk and family ownership, and I find as the percentage of family ownership increases idiosyncratic risk increases. The second essay utilizes the likelihood of incentive compensation presence and incentive compensation ratio of small publicly held family firms relative to nonfamily firms to investigate differences in CEO dividends and incentive compensation. The tools available for boards of directors to incentivize CEOs to act in accordance with diverse shareholder wishes, including risk-taking, investment selection, and the on-the-job consumption of resources, are stock options, stock grants, and cash bonuses. I argue that agency theory in practice is imperfect in incentive contracting. Specifically, CEO dividends and family ownership reduce the likelihood of the existence of an incentive compensation plan. I find in the presence of CEO dividends that family and nonfamily firms differ in their incentive compensation ratios and the likelihood of incentive compensation. In my sample, I find a significant negative relation between the CEO dividend income ratio and the incentive compensation ratio and between family ownership percentage and the incentive compensation ratio. Lastly, consistent with current literature, I find that growth opportunities positively influence both family and nonfamily firms' incentive compensation ratios.

The number of dividend paying firms has been on the decline since the popularity of stock repurchases in the 1980s, and the recent financial crisis has brought about a wave of dividend reductions and omissions. This dissertation examined the U.S. firms and American Depository Receipts that are listed on the U.S. equity exchanges according to their dividend paying history in the previous twelve quarters. While accounting for the state of the economy, the firm’s size, profitability, earned equity, and growth opportunities, it determines whether or not the firm will pay a dividend in the next quarter. It also examined the likelihood of a dividend change. Further, returns of firms were examined according to their dividend paying history and the state of the economy using the Fama-French three-factor model. Using forward, backward, and step-wise selection logistic regressions, the results show that firms with a history of regular and uninterrupted dividend payments are likely to continue to pay dividends, while firms that do not have a history of regular dividend payments are not likely to begin to pay dividends or continue to do so. The results of a set of generalized polytomous logistic regressions imply that dividend paying firms are more likely to reduce dividend payments during economic expansions, as opposed to recessions. Also the analysis of returns using the Fama-French three factor model reveals that dividend paying firms are earning significant abnormal positive returns. As a special case, a similar analysis of dividend payment and dividend change was applied to American Depository Receipts that trade on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX exchanges and are issued by the Bank of New York Mellon. Returns of American Depository Receipts were examined using the Fama-French two-factor model for international firms. The results of the generalized polytomous logistic regression analyses indicate that dividend paying status and economic conditions are also important for dividend level change of American Depository Receipts, and Fama-French two-factor regressions alone do not adequately explain returns for these securities.

O fim da obrigatoriedade da correção monetária das demonstrações contábeis em 1995, fez com que as empresas brasileiras deixassem de reconhecer os efeitos da inflação na apuração dos seus resultados. Porém, mesmo com a aparente estabilização monetária promovida pelo Plano Real, a inflação acumulada de janeiro de 1996 a dezembro de 2004 ultrapassou 160% de acordo com dois dos principais indicadores nacionais. A inflação não deixou de existir com a extinção da correção monetária e, as empresas inseridas nesse contexto de alta generalizada dos preços, simplesmente deixaram de reconhecer seus efeitos na apuração de seus resultados. Nesse trabalho, coletamos as demonstrações contábeis de todas as empresas não financeiras de capital aberto listadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo no período de 1996 a 2004 e procedemos com a Correção Monetária de Balanço, de acordo com a metodologia prevista na legislação brasileira. Os resultados do Teste de Diferença de Médias para Observações Emparelhadas e o Teste de Postos com Sinais de Wilcoxon para Pares Combinados mostraram que a desconsideração dos efeitos inflacionários distorceu o lucro das 255 empresas da amostra com um nível de confiança de 99%. Os resultados da correção monetária foram então comparados com o total de lucros distribuídos em dividendos por essas empresas, agrupadas em dezoito setores de diferentes atividades econômicas. As análises do índice de correlação de Pearson forneceram evidências de que os setores que mais ganharam com a inflação foram também aqueles que mais distribuíram dividendos aos acionistas e os setores que mais perderam com a corrosão do poder aquisitivo da moeda foram os que menos tiveram capacidade de distribuir lucro. O estudo empírico fornece uma visão mais clara de como a inflação tem impactado o lucro das empresas brasileiras e como o seu não reconhecimento pode afetar a distribuição desse lucro e a riqueza dos acionistas. / The end of obligatory price level adjustment of financial statements in 1995 accounts for Brazilian companies not recognition of the inflation effects in profit determination. However, even with the apparent monetary stabilization cause by the Real Plan, the accumulated inflation from January 1996 to December 2004 surpassed 160%, according to two of the main national indicators. Even with the end of price level adjustment, inflation still exists and the companies included in this ambit of generalized price increase, simply did not recognize their profit determination. For this work, we collected incomes statements of all non-financial Brazilian stock companies listed at São Paulo Stock Exchange from 1996 to 2004 and dealt with the Price Level Adjustment according to the methodology foreseen in Brazilian Legislation. The results of the T-Test and Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test showed that the lack of consideration for inflationary effects distorted the profit of the 255 companies of the sample with a 99% level of reliance. The results of price level adjustment were, then, compared to the total profit distributed in dividends by these companies, joint into eighteen sectors of different economical activities. The analyses of Pearson\'s index of correlation evidenced that the sectors that had most of the benefit from inflation were also the ones that participated more in the distribution of the dividends to the shareholders and the sector that have lost more with the purchasing power degradation were the ones that had less capacity to distribute profit. The empiric study provides a better understanding of how inflation has caused impact on Brazilian companies profit and how not recognizing inflation can affect the distribution of this profit and the richness of the shareholders.

No description available.

Accepted financial theory holds that stock splits provide no wealth benefits to stock-holders. The corporate management view is that stock splits add value by placing the stock in a more liquid price range. Empirical explanations of excess returns near the split rely principally upon an information effect. Other findings are that (1) an unexplained, sustained jump in returns' variance occurs at the split, and (2) there appears to be a coincidental decrease in liquidity, not an increase. Daily returns from CRSP and daily and intradaily returns and daily trading volumes and price change information from trade-by-trade data are used to examine the returns variance increase and any connection it may have with any liquidity change. Binomial probability comparisons of returns' variance measures each side of the split ex-date are used to examine the variance change and liquidity change phenomena. T-tests are also used to examine the mean-variance change and the possible change in several liquidity measures. Linear regression is used to detect impact of the general market variance level, firm-specific variables, and microstructure measures, and liquidity measures upon the returns’ variance change. Findings include: (1) the variance increase is significant and exhibits a firm size effect and is affected by the previous history of splits use and. dividend payout, (2) the increase is primarily related to the price level adjustment and changes in the liquidity measures, (3) a slight change in the demand to hold as measured by the percentage of the firm traded takes place for firms with an increase in variance (4) the bid-ask spread decreases, but increases relative to the new price. Stock splits with increased returns’ variance have significantly different liquidity measures from splits where the variance declined. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

The literature on agency theory has generally modelled and tested the firm’s dividend and capital structure decisions separately. In this dissertation, a model is developed based on agency cost considerations and dividends as a means of controlling equity agency costs, which simultaneously determines the optimal capital structure and payout rate for firms. However, to the extent that alternative, non-dividend mechanisms exist across industries and industry groups that may either diminish or nullify the effect of dividends in controlling equity agency costs, simultaneity is not predicted to be universal but a function of industry characteristics. This central hypothesis is tested on three industry groups: industrial firms, banks and electric utilities. Banks and utilities are regulated. Industrials are not regulated but are subject to other equity agency cost controlling mechanisms like the threat of takeover and incentive-based compensation packages. As hypothesized, the results for industrials show no simultaneity in the subsample where these other mechanisms are present, and simultaneity in the subsample where dividends are the dominant mechanism. For banks and utilities no simultaneity is found since regulation, through its effect on the debt agency cost curve of firms in these industries effectively precludes its occurrence. / Ph. D.

To seek a greater understanding of peacebuilding there is a need for a multifaceted approach. This in part entails exploring the contextual economic conditions of conflicts, and the possibilities of removing these conditions and utilizing economic gains to act as incentives to create stakeholders in peace processes. In Northern Ireland there was a perceived link between the weak economic situation and violent conflict. Economic inequality was stoking animosity and unemployment was generating disillusionment. As peace was reached in 1998 and successfully sustained, there is an intrinsic value in exploring the peacebuilding processes. Through a mixed-method approach incorporating a content analysis of The Irish Times articles from 1994-1998 and a sequential analysis of descriptive statistics from 1998-2019 the concept of peace dividends has been explored. The results show how a coherent and consistent construction of peace dividends was made by political and economic elites and disseminated to the public, building expectations from peace. A peace dividend was constructed based on increased trade and improved economic co-operation with Ireland, inclusive/equitable distribution of prosperity and opportunities, job creation, and increased FDI and jobs generated through FDI. Following an analysis of the development of these aspects of peace dividends, the results indicate improvements regarding increased trade and economic co-operation with Ireland, increased ability to attract FDI projects, and a consistent yearly improvement of disposable household income. Where the most significant development can be observed and, hence, the part of the peace dividend that has been most successful, is within the labour market. Unemployment has decreased and a convergence in opportunities to participate between Protestant and Catholic communities has been facilitated. Generating a more inclusive labour market and diminishing the disillusionment of unemployment from the past.

by Au Yuk Mui, Kitty, Lo King Yuen, Simon. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Hong Kong Stock-Market --- p.2 / History of Hong Kong Stock Market --- p.2 / Stock Indexes in Hong Kong --- p.4 / Process in Granting Dividend to Investors --- p.6 / Transaction Cost in Stock Trading --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- HYPOTHESES --- p.10 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.14 / Review of Hong Kong Taxation System --- p.14 / Literature Review --- p.16 / Survey on the Shareownership --- p.22 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- METHODOLOGY --- p.26 / Data Collection --- p.26 / Stock price & Dividend --- p.26 / Market Index --- p.28 / Regression equation --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- STATISTICAL FINDING --- p.36 / Practice of dividend payment --- p.36 / Stock price drop vs Dividend --- p.40 / Adjusted Ex-date Return vs Dividend Yield --- p.46 / Multiple regression analysis on the CAPM equation for ex-date return --- p.60 / Chapter CHAPTER VI --- LIMITATION --- p.73 / Abnormal crisis --- p.73 / Market Index --- p.74 / Portfolio approach --- p.75 / Transaction Cost --- p.76 / Chapter CHAPTER VII --- CONCLUSION --- p.77 / Chapter APPENDIX A --- "REGRESSION RESULT FOR RATE OF STOCK PRICE DROP AND DIVIDEND YIELD, IN ACCORDING TO THE DIVIDEND TYPE, WEEKDAY AND TIME LAPSE BETWEEN CUM-DATE AND EX-DATE" --- p.79 / Chapter APPENDIX B --- "REGRESSION RESULT FOR ADJUSTED EX-DATE STOCK RETURN AND DIVIDEND YIELD, IN ACCORDING TO THE DIVIDEND TYPE, WEEKDAY AND TIME LAPSE BETWEEN CUM-DATE AND EX-DATE" --- p.80 / Chapter APPENDIX C --- "RESULT OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS FOR ADJUSTED EX-DATE STOCK RETURN AND DIVIDEND YIELD, ACCORDING TO THE DIVIDEND TYPE, WEEKDAY AND TIME LAPSE BETWEEN CUM-DATE AND EX-DATE" --- p.82 / Chapter APPENDIX D --- THE IMPLIED RISK FREE RATE --- p.84 / REFERENCES --- p.85

This paper examines the relation between banks' dividends and their future financial health. Using banks' Nonperforming Loans Ratio, Loan Loss Provision Ratio, and Z-score as proxies for their financial health, I show that there is a strong positive relation between banks' dividends lagged by one quarter and their financial health in the current quarter. This main finding continues to hold following several additional tests, including the application of an instrumental variable approach, the use of change in dividends as the key independent variable, the exclusion of banks that are subject to stress test, the addition of macroeconomic variables, the exclusion of too-big-to-fail banks, and the exclusion of non-depository banks. I also find that the positive relation between banks' dividends and their future financial health is more pronounced for banks with a higher degree of opacity, a lower Tier 1 capital ratio, and during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. This paper contributes to three strands of the finance literature, including the Risk Reduction Hypothesis of dividend signaling in corporate finance, bank dividend policies, and the determinants of banks' financial stability. First, I show that there is a positive relation between banks' dividends lagged by one quarter and their financial health in the current quarter, also meaning that banks' dividends are negatively associated with their future risk conditions. This finding is consistent with the Risk Reduction Hypothesis regarding dividend signaling. Second, Floyd, Li, and Skinner (2015) propose a new idea that banks use dividends to signal financial health, and they rely on this idea to explain why banks have a higher and more stable propensity to pay dividends vis-à-vis industrials during the past several decades. My finding that banks' dividends are positively associated with their future financial health empirically supports this idea proposed by Floyd, Li, and Skinner (2015). Last, to my knowledge, no prior study has attempted to extensively detect a direct relation between banks' dividends and their financial stability. I fill this gap by investigating whether this relation exists. I show that banks' dividends have significantly positive explanatory power on their future financial stability, as proxied by three risk conditions.