<p>In Chapter 1, I review the existing literature on the investor and contracting usefulness of other comprehensive income (OCI) components. In Chapter 2, I perform empirical tests focused on one aspect of investor usefulness of accounting information: risk-relevance. I examine whether OCI component volatilities are associated with investors' returns volatility using a sample of bank holding companies from 1998 to 2012. The results indicate that the volatilities of unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale (AFS) securities and cash-flow hedges, typically deemed beyond managers' control, are negatively associated with risk, while volatilities of OTTI losses, over which managers have relatively more control, are positively associated with risk. The results are consistent with investors perceiving the volatility of non-OTTI AFS unrealized gains and losses as relatively less important, less risky, or less risk-relevant, than the volatility of OTTI losses, and perceiving the volatility of OTTI losses as an informative signal about risk. In Chapter 3, I find that Tier 1 Capital including more components of accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI), as stipulated by Basel III, is no more volatile than pre-Basel-III Tier 1 Capital, and that the volatilities of the AOCI components new to Tier 1 Capital are not positively associated with risk. In Chapter 4, I discuss future research.</p> / Dissertation

I examine the information content of unrealized cash flow hedge gains/losses for future profitability and stock returns. An unrealized gain on a cash flow hedge suggests that the price of the underlying hedged item (i.e. commodity price, foreign currency exchange rate or interest rate) moved in a direction that negatively affects the firm. Based on this inverse relation, I find that unrealized cash flow hedge gains/losses are negatively associated with future gross margin. This association is weaker for firms that have the ability to pass input price changes through to customers. Finally, I find that investors do not immediately price the information conveyed by cash flow hedges. Instead, investors appear surprised by future realizations of gross margin, consistent with the view that a lack of transparent disclosure on future hedged transactions leads to a delay in pricing. These results may inform current policy decisions of both the FASB and SEC.

Other comprehensive income is a widely debated subject, that has raised controversies and scholarly debates since Littleton’s pivotal economic research in the 1940s. Today OCI is an ill-defined measure of performance, with potentially large consequences for publicly traded companies. The purpose of this study is to research whether ‘net income’ with the inclusion of ‘other comprehensive income’ to a higher degree explain firm performance than net income alone, and if there is a significant difference in the mean of OCI between the three Scandinavian countries. Three hypotheses were formed, carefully formulated with similarities of many large European studies, through an exhaustive literature study conducted. The thesis mainly relies on theory regarding studies on value-relevance, clean-surplus accounting, and dirty-surplus accounting. The study used data collected through the Eikon database and conducted empirical tests on a sample consisting of 479 firms in Scandinavia, with 260 Swedish companies, 97 Danish companies, and 122 Norwegian companies. A pro forma OCI was calculated using proxy-numbers, and then tested. The empirical findings show that Net Income with the inclusion of OCI does explain firm-performance to a higher degree than Net Income alone, that is the relative value-relevance. Another hypothesis was framed to test the incremental value-relevance of OCI, and the results also showed this to be significant. The study however failed to find support for whether OCI or Net Income had any significant difference between the incremental value-relevance. The results also found evidence that support the claim that there is a significant difference in the mean of OCI between the three Scandinavian countries. The authors concluded the study by emphasizing an apparent need for standard-setters to further develop the concept of OCI due to the ambiguous nature it seems to present toward investors.

Den 1 januari 2009 infördes en reviderad version av IASB:s redovisningsstandard IAS 1. Den nya versionen, som gäller för alla noterade bolag i EU, ställer krav på att posterna övrigt totalresultat och totalresultat ska presenteras i, eller i nära anslutning till, resultaträkningen. Innebörden av detta är att ett flertal orealiserade poster ska lyftas fram i resultatdelen. Implementeringen innebar en övergång till så kallad Clean Surplus Accounting. Anhängare till denna redovisningsutformning menar att all information som påverkat det egna kapitalet, bortsett från ägartransaktioner, är av intresse för utomstående och därmed bör påverka resultatmåttet. Att övergå till denna redovisningsmetod skulle leda till en högre värderelevans för finansiella rapporter. Syftet med följande uppsats var att utreda om posterna övrigt totalresultat och totalresultat kan konstateras vara värderelevanta och därmed även utreda om redovisning enligt Clean Surplus har ökat relevansen hos finansiella rapporter. I studien har en kvantitativ ansats tillämpats och undersökningarna har baserats på data från stora företag noterade på Stockholmsbörsen mellan åren 2009 - 2014. Förväntningarna har varit att totalresultat är ett relevant mått, men att det historiska resultatmåttet nettoresultat fortsatt är det mått som fungerar bäst som estimering av framtida ekonomisk prestation. I enlighet med förväntningarna visar studien att övergången till redovisning enligt Clean Surplus inte ökat relevansen hos svenska finansiella rapporter.

Den reviderade versionen av IAS 1, utformning av finansiella rapporter, trädde i kraft 1 januari år 2009. IAS 1 är en internationell redovisningsstandard utgiven av IASB, vilken skall tillämpas av svensknoterade bolag vid upprättande av koncernredovisning sedan år 2005. Revideringen innebär att orealiserade värdeförändringar som inte är ägarrelaterade och som tidigare redovisades direkt mot eget kapital nu skall redovisas över totalresultatet, under rubriken övrigt totalresultat. Utformningen av de finansiella rapporterna har därmed förändrats vilket har påverkat hur företag presenterar både sitt resultat och sin finansiella ställning. Valmöjligheter gällande såväl uppställningsform som val av rubriker på de finansiella rapporterna ges till företagen i och med nya IAS 1. IASB: s uttalade syfte med revideringen är att den skall leda till ökad användbarhet genom att användarnas möjlighet att analysera och jämföra information kommer att förbättras.Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilken påverkan revideringen av IAS 1 har medfört på användbarheten av finansiella rapporter. Vi avser att belysa frågan ur två perspektiv, redovisningsspecialisters samt finansanalytikers för att på så sätt kunna skapa oss en uppfattning om hur användbarheten av de finansiella rapporterna påverkats. Vi har valt att intervjua våra valda respondenter personligen eller via telefon för att på så sätt uppnå bredd samt aspektrikedom i våra erhållna svar.Undersökningen visar att användbarheten av finansiella rapporter ökar överlag, men att det sker till priset av mer komplicerade rapporter. Som användare ställs det högre krav att förstå samt tolka innebörden av rapporterna för att kunna dra nytta av nya IAS 1 och totalresultatet. Revideringen har lett till att rapporterna blir mer öppna och transparenta samt att jämförbarheten, företag emellan, har ökat. Resultatet om huruvida möjligheten att analysera den information som tillhandahålls har förbättrats eller inte är något tvetydig. Det beror på att respondenterna har gett motsatta uttalanden om nyttan av övrigt totalresultat och i synnerhet totalresultat. Den främsta orsaken tycks vara att det är svårt att bedöma betydelsen av posterna samt att de tenderar att fluktuera. Studien visar även på att revideringen endast har en marginell påverkan på den insatta eller professionella användaren och att det framförallt är den icke professionella användaren för vilken revideringen kommer att medföra konsekvenser, både positiva och negativa. Dock indikerar vårt resultat att en del av problemen är av övergående karaktär vilka allt eftersom kunskapen om revideringen och det nya resultatmåttet, totalresultat, ökar kommer att mildras.

In this study, we look at the effects of the adoption of the revised IAS 1 rules, which has been in effect since January 1, 2009. The revised IAS 1 requires that all changes in equity, excluding changes in equity arising from transactions with owners, should be recognized in comprehensive income statement. Revised IAS 1 requires companies to report total comprehensive income that is a sum of net income and other comprehensive income. Total comprehensive income includes all unrealized gains and losses recognized under IFRS. Before the amendment, some of the unrealized gains and losses were shown in a statement of changes in equity but not in the income statement. We hope to answer the question whether inclusion of the components of other comprehensive income provides investors with useful information. We investigate if stock prices have an association with the components of other comprehensive income. We investigate how effective are attempts of IASB to increase the relevance of accounting information about corporate income. We hope that results from the study will be of interest to the standard-setter. In this study, we use data from annual reports and year-end reports for companies listed on the Large and Mid Cap segment at NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and that covers the years 2009 to 2011. We use two regression models to test value relevance of components of other comprehensive income.We have found some evidence that the share price statistically relates to such component of comprehensive income as the change of the fair value of cash flow hedges. This can also be interpreted as that the change of the fair value of cash flow hedges has some value relevance. We also found some evidence that the share price significantly associates with winning cash flow hedging position. We did not find that the share price associates with some other components of other comprehensive income.

Against the background of increasing tension between the need for additional disclosure and an information overload in financial statements, this study investigates the relevance of specific tax accounting information in an experimental setting. Participants make judgments on the financial performance, investment attractiveness and tax position of the firm, in absence or in presence of detailed tax information in the other comprehensive income statement. Our results do not support the notion that such deferred tax information has an effect on the judgment of experts, as long as the amounts of deferred tax are normal. However, when the detailed amounts of deferred tax are abnormally high, judgment differs significantly. Our result is important for standard setters, as they may consider further developing guidance in standards (such as IAS 1 and IAS 12) and in the Practice Statement for how to judge materiality of information, in accordance with the materiality principle set forth in IAS 1.31. By doing so, the risk of information overload can be reduced. Our study thus contributes to the current debate on the extent of disclosure. Our results are novel and the method used allows for the isolation of effects and the identification of causal relationships. / Series: WU International Taxation Research Paper Series

Submitted by Janaína Senra Silva Marinho (janaina_senra@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-11-28T23:28:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Janaina_Senra_Silva_Marinho_FINAL.pdf: 2120737 bytes, checksum: a500813e5ede44525323eb2fc7a197a8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by ÁUREA CORRÊA DA FONSECA CORRÊA DA FONSECA (aurea.fonseca@fgv.br) on 2017-11-30T17:33:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Janaina_Senra_Silva_Marinho_FINAL.pdf: 2120737 bytes, checksum: a500813e5ede44525323eb2fc7a197a8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-08T16:20:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Janaina_Senra_Silva_Marinho_FINAL.pdf: 2120737 bytes, checksum: a500813e5ede44525323eb2fc7a197a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-25 / The present dissertation is organized in three studies and aims to investigate the value relevance of Comprehensive Income (CI) and Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) and OCI components from valuation, informational and forecasting perspectives compared to P&L (Profit or Loss) after the mandatory adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by Brazilian listed companies. Since FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board, the issuing body of the United States accounting standards) and the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board, the issuing body of IFRS) required the presentation of both P&L and OCI in the Financial Statements, based on the clean surplus theory, this topic drew attention of academics and practioners around the world. Clean surplus supporters argue that the financial statements prepared in accordance with this paradigm provide more useful information to stakeholders than its alternative (dirty surplus approach). The value relevance research of accounting data aims to examine the correlation between accounting information and the information used by investors to make economic decisions. The information can be considered relevant when it influences the decision making of users of financial statements by helping them predict future cash flows and/or confirm previous assumptions. Therefore, based on clean surplus and value relevance theories, the studies provides empirical evidence of clean surplus income measure (CI) value relevance compared to dirty surplus income measure (P&L) by examining the relative and incremental association of P&L, CI, OCI and OCI components with (i) share prices and (ii) share returns. Additionally, the forecasting ability of P&L, CI, OCI and OCI components to predict future OCF (Operating Cash Flows) and future P&L is empirically examined. The present study adopts existing well-established research models on value relevance and forecasting ability of P&L, CI, OCI and OCI components and develops additional statistical models based on those theories and concepts. This dissertation analyzes hand-collected data for a sample of Brazilian companies listed on BMF&BOVESPA and comprises the period from 2010 to 2015. The results indicate that P&L is more value relevant than CI, even though CI provide value relevant information. However, the CI coefficient is lower than P&L coefficient. Although OCI does not provide incremental value relevant information, OCI components add incremental value relevant information compared to standalone P&L, especially adjustments in fair value of available-for-sale financial instruments, gains and losses from translating the financial statements of a foreign operation and adjustments in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments. The present dissertation provided additional insight to the ongoing discussion on value relevance of P&L, CI, OCI and OCI components in the research community, as well as on the standard setter level and contributed to fill, even partially, the lack of research on the issue in the Brazil.

<p>Sedan 2005 har tillämpning av den internationella standarden IFRS/IAS varit obligatoriskt för alla svenska noterade bolag i deras koncernredovisning. Trots det relativt nya införandet av standarden sker hela tiden ändringar och tillägg i rekommendationerna. I januari 2009 kommer en ny reviderad version av standarden IAS 1 ”Utformning av finansiella rapporter”. Den nya versionen innebär att även de transaktioner som tidigare enbart redovisats direkt mot eget kapital, och som inte är hänförliga till ägarna, nu ska redovisas över resultaträkningen. Detta innebär bland annat att fler orealiserade värdeförändringar kommer att inkluderas i resultaträkningen. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka hur revisorer ser på införandet av IAS 1 och ställa det i relation till IASB:s officiellt uttalade grundintentioner. För att besvara vår forskningsfråga har vi valt att använda oss av en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och intervjua kvalificerade revisorer på tre av Sveriges större revisionsbyråer. I empirin redovisar vi resultaten av den genomförda undersökningen. Vår slutsats är att revisorernas synpunkter skiljer sig i en del frågor från IASB:s officiella uttalanden, samt att syftet med den nya resultaträkningen inte till fullo har tillfredställt den generella användargruppens behov. Däribland märks särskilt de mindre företagen som mest upplever reglerna som omständliga och svåra att tillämpa. Det återstår att se i framtiden, om de potentiella positiva effekterna av den nya standarden även kommer att bli märkbara för företagen.</p> / <p>Since 2005 the international IFRS/IAS standards have been applied, and they are required for all Swedish public companies in their consolidated financial statements. The introduction of the new standards is still relatively new, but there are constant changes and amendments to them. In January of 2009 a new and revised version of IAS 1 will come into force. This new version means that transactions, that before were reported in the balance sheet but not applicable to the owners, now will be reported in the statement of income and expense. One of the effects that will come from this change is that more unrealized value changes will be included in the statement of income and expense. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the accountants view on the changes of IAS 1 and put that in relation to the published statements made by the IASB concerning their intentions of the changes. To answer our research question we have chosen to use a qualitative strategy and interview accountants from three of the larger accounting firms in Sweden. The results of the interviews will be presented in the empirical chapter. Our conclusion is that the accountants’ views are different from the published statements made by the IASB, in some areas of their intention. The new statement of comprehensive income have not fully satisfied the needs of general users, among which especially for smaller companies that mostly find the rules as being difficult and hard to apply. The future will show whether the potential positive effects of the new standards will be noticeable for the Swedish companies.</p>

A presente pesquisa objetivou verificar se medidas contábeis calculadas por meio do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes são relevantes na explicação do risco das empresas. Para isso, analisou-se amostra composta por 105 companhias brasileiras de capital aberto com ações negociadas na BM&FBovespa. Foram selecionadas empresas não financeiras com dados disponíveis no período compreendido entre o primeiro trimestre de 2011 e o primeiro de trimestre de 2015, sendo excluídas empresas com ações de baixa liquidez. Inicialmente, avaliou-se por meio de análise de estatísticas descritivas e do Teste de Wilcoxon se o lucro abrangente é mais volátil que o lucro líquido. Esta primeira hipótese de pesquisa não foi refutada e se constatou que, para as empresas que compõem a amostra estudada, a volatilidade do lucro abrangente foi 30,84% superior à volatilidade do lucro líquido, evidenciando que a análise focada única e exclusivamente no lucro líquido induziria o usuário da informação contábil a ignorar possíveis fontes de risco da empresa. Para a análise da relevância do lucro abrangente e de seus componentes na explicação do risco, foi feita análise de regressão com dados em painel por meio de oito modelos estimados, cada qual com diferentes variáveis explicativas e abordagens de risco, estimado por meio da volatilidade dos retornos das ações (risco total) e do beta de mercado (risco sistemático). Os resultados apresentados evidenciaram que a relação entre a volatilidade do lucro abrangente e o risco da empresa é superior àquela observada entre a volatilidade do lucro líquido e o risco, porém tal relação não se mostrou estatisticamente significante. Todavia, verificou-se que a volatilidade do valor referente a outros resultados abrangentes possui relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com seu risco sistemático. Ganhos e perdas com hedges de fluxo de caixa e com ativos financeiros classificados como disponíveis para venda apresentaram relação negativa e estatisticamente significante com o risco da empresa, o que, de acordo com estudos anteriores, deve-se ao fato de que resultados não realizados estariam além do controle dos gestores. As evidências apresentadas pelo presente estudo corroboram a importância do assunto, fornecendo insumos para discussões sobre políticas contábeis relacionadas ao lucro e para o desenvolvimento de métricas contábeis para a avaliação do risco das empresas. / This research aimed to verify if the comprehensive income and its components are relevant in explanation of the firm risk. Thus, it analyzed sample of 105 Brazilian public companies listed on the BM&FBovespa. Non-financial companies with available data from the first quarter of 2011 to first quarter of 2015 were selected, being excluded companies with low stock liquidity. Initially, it was evaluated by analysis of descriptive statistics and the Wilcoxon test if the comprehensive income is more volatile than net income. This first research hypothesis was not refuted and found that for the companies in the sample, the volatility of comprehensive income was 30.84% higher than the volatility of net income, showing that an analysis focused exclusively on net income induce the accounting information user to ignore possible sources of firm risk. For the analysis of the relevance of comprehensive income and its components in risk explanation, regression analysis was done with panel data through eight estimated models, each with different explanatory variables and risk approaches, estimated by the volatility of stock returns (total risk) and market beta (systematic risk). The results showed that the relationship between the volatility of comprehensive income and the company\'s risk is greater than that observed between the volatility of net income and risk, but this relationship was not statistically significant. However, it was found that the volatility of the value related to other comprehensive income has negative and statistically significant relationship with its systematic risk. Gains and losses from cash flow hedges and financial assets classified as available for sale showed a negative and statistically significant relationship to the risk of the firm, which, according to previous studies, is due to the fact that unrealized results would be beyond the control of managers. The evidence presented in this study confirm the importance of the subject, providing inputs for discussions on accounting policies related to income and to the development of accounting metrics for risk assessment of companies.