IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v54y2023ics1544612323001496.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Disclosure characteristics of annual reports and information asymmetry: Evidence from foreign firms listed on the US stock exchange

Author

Listed:
  • Nguyen, Phuong Thi Thuy
  • Kimura, Akihisa

Abstract

This research examines the associations between two of the most interesting disclosure characteristics of annual reports and information asymmetry. It illustrates that the length of annual reports is negatively associated with information asymmetry. By contrast, our research shows that an improvement in the readability of annual reports does not positively affect information asymmetry among investors. Our research assumes the current tendency of annual reports does not worsen the information environments for investors in extracting the information.

Suggested Citation

  • Nguyen, Phuong Thi Thuy & Kimura, Akihisa, 2023. "Disclosure characteristics of annual reports and information asymmetry: Evidence from foreign firms listed on the US stock exchange," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:54:y:2023:i:c:s1544612323001496
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2023.103776
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612323001496
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2023.103776?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bonsall, Samuel B. & Leone, Andrew J. & Miller, Brian P. & Rennekamp, Kristina, 2017. "A plain English measure of financial reporting readability," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 329-357.
    2. Filzen, Joshua J. & Schutte, Maria Gabriela, 2017. "Comovement, financial reporting complexity, and information markets: Evidence from the effect of changes in 10-Q lengths on internet search volumes and peer correlations," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 19-37.
    3. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2014. "Measuring Readability in Financial Disclosures," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(4), pages 1643-1671, August.
    4. Amiram, Dan & Owens, Edward & Rozenbaum, Oded, 2016. "Do information releases increase or decrease information asymmetry? New evidence from analyst forecast announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 121-138.
    5. Paul M. Healy & Amy P. Hutton & Krishna G. Palepu, 1999. "Stock Performance and Intermediation Changes Surrounding Sustained Increases in Disclosure," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(3), pages 485-520, September.
    6. Leuz, C & Verrecchia, RE, 2000. "The economic consequences of increased disclosure," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38, pages 91-124.
    7. Dyer, Travis & Lang, Mark & Stice-Lawrence, Lorien, 2017. "The evolution of 10-K textual disclosure: Evidence from Latent Dirichlet Allocation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 221-245.
    8. Brian J. Bushee & Ian D. Gow & Daniel J. Taylor, 2018. "Linguistic Complexity in Firm Disclosures: Obfuscation or Information?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(1), pages 85-121, March.
    9. Chia-Chun Hsieh & Kai Wai Hui & Yao Zhang, 2016. "Analyst Report Readability and Stock Returns," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 98-130, January.
    10. Li, Feng, 2008. "Annual report readability, current earnings, and earnings persistence," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2-3), pages 221-247, August.
    11. Fu, Renhui & Kraft, Arthur & Zhang, Huai, 2012. "Financial reporting frequency, information asymmetry, and the cost of equity," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 132-149.
    12. Amihud, Yakov, 2002. "Illiquidity and stock returns: cross-section and time-series effects," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 31-56, January.
    13. Frank L. Heflin & Kenneth W. Shaw & John J. Wild, 2005. "Disclosure Policy and Market Liquidity: Impact of Depth Quotes and Order Sizes," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 829-865, December.
    14. Lang, Mark & Stice-Lawrence, Lorien, 2015. "Textual analysis and international financial reporting: Large sample evidence," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 110-135.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Blankespoor, Elizabeth & deHaan, Ed & Marinovic, Iván, 2020. "Disclosure processing costs, investors’ information choice, and equity market outcomes: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(2).
    2. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Habib, Ahsan, 2020. "Readability of narrative disclosures, and corporate liquidity and payout policies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Richard Frankel & Jared Jennings & Joshua Lee, 2022. "Disclosure Sentiment: Machine Learning vs. Dictionary Methods," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(7), pages 5514-5532, July.
    4. Pinto, Inês & Morais, Ana Isabel & Quick, Reiner, 2020. "The impact of the precision of accounting standards on the expanded auditor’s report in the European Union," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    5. Alex Kim & Maximilian Muhn & Valeri Nikolaev, 2023. "Bloated Disclosures: Can ChatGPT Help Investors Process Information?," Papers 2306.10224, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2024.
    6. Rjiba, Hatem & Saadi, Samir & Boubaker, Sabri & Ding, Xiaoya (Sara), 2021. "Annual report readability and the cost of equity capital," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. Chung, Dennis Y. & Hrazdil, Karel & Novak, Jiri & Suwanyangyuan, Nattavut, 2019. "Does the large amount of information in corporate disclosures hinder or enhance price discovery in the capital market?," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 36-52.
    8. Christian Leuz & Peter D. Wysocki, 2016. "The Economics of Disclosure and Financial Reporting Regulation: Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 525-622, May.
    9. Dongshin Kim & Dongkuk Lim & Jonathan A. Wiley, 2023. "Narrative Investment-Risk Disclosure & REIT Investment," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 66(2), pages 542-567, February.
    10. Robert Stoumbos, 2023. "The Growth of Information Asymmetry Between Earnings Announcements and Its Implications for Reporting Frequency," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(3), pages 1901-1928, March.
    11. Lutfa Tilat Ferdous & Kamran Ahmed & Darren Henry, 2023. "An Empirical Investigation of the Effect of CFO Power on Disclosure Quality," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 59(2), pages 606-649, June.
    12. Asay, H. Scott & Libby, Robert & Rennekamp, Kristina, 2018. "Firm performance, reporting goals, and language choices in narrative disclosures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 380-398.
    13. Akhilesh Bajaj & Lori N. K. Leonard & Li Sun & Zhenze Xing, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility and annual report reading difficulty," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1393-1428, May.
    14. Amiram, Dan & Owens, Edward & Rozenbaum, Oded, 2016. "Do information releases increase or decrease information asymmetry? New evidence from analyst forecast announcements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 121-138.
    15. Soliman, Marwa & Ben-Amar, Walid, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility orientation and textual features of financial disclosures," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    16. Nadine Gatzert & Dinah Heidinger, 2020. "An Empirical Analysis of Market Reactions to the First Solvency and Financial Condition Reports in the European Insurance Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 87(2), pages 407-436, June.
    17. de Souza, João Antônio Salvador & Rissatti, Jean Carlo & Rover, Suliani & Borba, José Alonso, 2019. "The linguistic complexities of narrative accounting disclosure on financial statements: An analysis based on readability characteristics," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 59-74.
    18. Jia, Jing & Li, Zhongtian, 2022. "Risk management committees and readability of risk management disclosure," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3).
    19. Max Schreder & Pawel Bilinski, 2022. "Information Quality and the Expected Rate of Return: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 29(2), pages 139-170, June.
    20. Steven F. Cahan & Seokjoo Chang & Wei Z. Siqueira & Kinsun Tam, 2022. "The roles of XBRL and processed XBRL in 10‐K readability," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1-2), pages 33-68, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:54:y:2023:i:c:s1544612323001496. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.