IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pacfin/v80y2023ics0927538x23001403.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does prospectus readability matter for bond issuance pricing? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Fengyu
  • Yang, Mozhu
  • Zhang, Tong

Abstract

We investigate the informational role of prospectus readability in determining the pricing of newly issued bonds in China. We construct a text-based measure of prospectus readability and find that less readable prospectus is associated with higher credit spread of newly issued bond. Furthermore, we then find that less readability of prospectus is associated with higher default probability of issuers, which lends support to the information manipulation view of readability. Moreover, we observe that the relationship between readability and spread is more pronounced for issuers with lower ratings and private ownership, as well as for bonds lacking external guarantees and associated with less reputable underwriters. These findings collectively highlight the importance of prospectus readability as a determinant of bond pricing in China, indicating that investors require a risk premium for bonds with inferior readability in their prospectuses.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Fengyu & Yang, Mozhu & Zhang, Tong, 2023. "Does prospectus readability matter for bond issuance pricing? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:80:y:2023:i:c:s0927538x23001403
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102074
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927538X23001403
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102074?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. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2014. "Measuring Readability in Financial Disclosures," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(4), pages 1643-1671, August.
    2. Gus De Franco & Ole†Kristian Hope & Dushyantkumar Vyas & Yibin Zhou, 2015. "Analyst Report Readability," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 76-104, March.
    3. Bryan Kelly & Alexander Ljungqvist, 2012. "Testing Asymmetric-Information Asset Pricing Models," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(5), pages 1366-1413.
    4. Hui Chen & Zhuo Chen & Zhiguo He & Jinyu Liu & Rengming Xie, 2019. "Pledgeability and Asset Prices: Evidence from the Chinese Corporate Bond Markets," NBER Working Papers 26520, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Liu, Clark & Wang, Shujing & Wei, K.C. John & Zhong, Ninghua, 2019. "The demand effect of yield-chasing retail investors: Evidence from the Chinese enterprise bond market," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 57-77.
    8. Marlene Amstad & Zhiguo He, 2019. "Chinese Bond Market and Interbank Market," NBER Working Papers 25549, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Lawrence, Alastair, 2013. "Individual investors and financial disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(1), pages 130-147.
    10. Ertugrul, Mine & Lei, Jin & Qiu, Jiaping & Wan, Chi, 2017. "Annual Report Readability, Tone Ambiguity, and the Cost of Borrowing," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(2), pages 811-836, April.
    11. Samuel B. Bonsall & Brian P. Miller, 2017. "The impact of narrative disclosure readability on bond ratings and the cost of debt," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 608-643, June.
    12. Healy, Paul M. & Palepu, Krishna G., 2001. "Information asymmetry, corporate disclosure, and the capital markets: A review of the empirical disclosure literature," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 405-440, September.
    13. Booth, James R. & Smith, Richard II, 1986. "Capital raising, underwriting and the certification hypothesis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1-2), pages 261-281.
    14. Rachappa Shette & Sudershan Kuntluru, 2018. "Readability of Initial Public Offering Prospectus and Earnings Performance," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 8(3), pages 68-74.
    15. Bloomfield, Robert, 2008. "Discussion of "Annual report readability, current earnings, and earnings persistence"," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(2-3), pages 248-252, August.
    16. Dong, Yi & Hou, Qiannan & Ni, Chenkai, 2021. "Implicit government guarantees and credit ratings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    17. Guay, Wayne & Samuels, Delphine & Taylor, Daniel, 2016. "Guiding through the Fog: Financial statement complexity and voluntary disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 234-269.
    18. Jiang, Fuwei & Lee, Joshua & Martin, Xiumin & Zhou, Guofu, 2019. "Manager sentiment and stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(1), pages 126-149.
    19. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2016. "Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1187-1230, September.
    20. Gustaf Bellstam & Sanjai Bhagat & J. Anthony Cookson, 2021. "A Text-Based Analysis of Corporate Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(7), pages 4004-4031, July.
    21. Megginson, William L & Weiss, Kathleen A, 1991. "Venture Capitalist Certification in Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(3), pages 879-903, July.
    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. 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.
    3. Muhammad Nadeem, 2022. "Board Gender Diversity and Managerial Obfuscation: Evidence from the Readability of Narrative Disclosure in 10-K Reports," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 153-177, August.
    4. Drago, Carlo & Ginesti, Gianluca & Pongelli, Claudia & Sciascia, Salvatore, 2018. "Reporting strategies: What makes family firms beat around the bush? Family-related antecedents of annual report readability," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 142-150.
    5. 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).
    6. Ahsan Habib & Mostafa Monzur Hasan, 2020. "Business strategies and annual report readability," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(3), pages 2513-2547, September.
    7. 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).
    8. Sun, Li, 2023. "Asset redeployability and readability of annual report," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. 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.
    10. Mousa, Gehan A. & Elamir, Elsayed A.H. & Hussainey, Khaled, 2022. "The effect of annual report narratives on the cost of capital in the Middle East and North Africa: A machine learning approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    11. Xu, Qiao & Fernando, Guy D. & Tam, Kinsun, 2018. "Executive age and the readability of financial reports," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 70-81.
    12. 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.
    13. 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.
    14. Walid Ben‐Amar & Ines Belgacem, 2018. "Do socially responsible firms provide more readable disclosures in annual reports?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 1009-1018, September.
    15. Kong, Dongmin & Shi, Lu & Zhang, Fan, 2021. "Explain or conceal? Causal language intensity in annual report and stock price crash risk," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 715-725.
    16. Sun, Li & Johnson, Grace & Bradley, Wray, 2022. "CEO power and annual report reading difficulty," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2).
    17. Umar, Tarik, 2022. "Complexity aversion when SeekingAlpha," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2).
    18. 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).
    19. 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.
    20. Ling Tuo & Yu (Tony) Zhang & Zhenfeng Liu & Ruixue Du, 2019. "Business Education of CEO-CFO and Annual Report Readability," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 17, pages 16-34, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bond prospectus; Readability; Credit spread; Information manipulation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pacfin:v:80:y:2023:i:c:s0927538x23001403. 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/pacfin .

    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.