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Does R&D expenditure volatility affect stock return?

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  • Xiang, Erwei
  • Gasbarro, Dominic
  • Cullen, Grant
  • Ruan, Wenjuan

Abstract

The relation between the volatility of R&D expenditure and stock return may be influenced by disruptive adjustment costs, emerge from earnings management, or reflect the actions of managers attempting to control the overinvestment of technocrats. Using 5,178 publicly listed US firms from 1980 to 2018, we find a negative relation between R&D volatility and return, which is moderated by firm size. We conclude that investors react negatively to the disruptive effect of changes to R&D expenditure, except for small firms. In small firms, the benefit of the governance mechanism of varying R&D expenditure to control overinvestment outweighs the cost of disruption.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiang, Erwei & Gasbarro, Dominic & Cullen, Grant & Ruan, Wenjuan, 2020. "Does R&D expenditure volatility affect stock return?," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:16:y:2020:i:3:s1815566920300254
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcae.2020.100211
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    R&D expenditure volatility; Stock return; Earnings management; Adjustment costs; Overinvestment-control;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D

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