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The Sarbanes†Oxley Act of 2002 and Capital†Market Behavior: Early Evidence

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  • Pankaj K. Jain
  • Zabihollah Rezaee

Abstract

The Sarbanes†Oxley Act of 2002 (“the Act†) was enacted in response to numerous corporate and accounting scandals. It aims to reinforce corporate accountability and professional responsibility in order to restore investor confidence in corporate America. This study examines the capital†market reaction to the Act and finds a positive (negative) abnormal return at the time of several legislative events that increased (decreased) the likelihood of the passage of the Act. We interpret this finding as evidence supporting the notion that the Act is wealth†increasing in the sense that its induced benefits significantly outweigh its imposed compliance costs. We also find that the market reaction is more positive for firms that are more compliant with the provisions of the Act prior to its enactment.

Suggested Citation

  • Pankaj K. Jain & Zabihollah Rezaee, 2006. "The Sarbanes†Oxley Act of 2002 and Capital†Market Behavior: Early Evidence," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(3), pages 629-654, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:coacre:v:23:y:2006:i:3:p:629-654
    DOI: 10.1506/2GWA-MBPJ-L35D-C4K6
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    Cited by:

    1. Miroslav Nedelchev, 2018. "Bibliometric Review of Corporate Governance Theories and Methods," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 4, pages 126-145.
    2. Baolei Qi & Liuchuang Li & Qing Zhou & Jinghui Sun, 2017. "Does internal control over financial reporting really alleviate agency conflicts?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(4), pages 1101-1125, December.
    3. Yael V. Hochberg & Paola Sapienza & Annette Vissing‐Jørgensen, 2009. "A Lobbying Approach to Evaluating the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 519-583, May.
    4. Peter Michael Robinson & Olav Muurlink, 2022. "Impact of CLERP 9 Reforms: A Longitudinal Analysis," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 32(1), pages 77-90, March.
    5. Stefan Arping & Zacharias Sautner, 2013. "Did SOX Section 404 Make Firms Less Opaque? Evidence from Cross†Listed Firms," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1133-1165, September.
    6. Brandon C. L. Morris & Jared F. Egginton & Kathleen P. Fuller, 2019. "Return and liquidity response to fraud and sec investigations," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer;Academy of Economics and Finance, vol. 43(2), pages 313-329, April.
    7. Mehdi Nekhili & Fahim Javed & Haithem Nagati, 2022. "Audit Partner Gender, Leadership and Ethics: The Case of Earnings Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(2), pages 233-260, May.
    8. repec:vuw:vuwscr:19076 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mukesh Garg, 2017. "Value relevance of voluntary internal control certification: An information asymmetry perspective," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 42(4), pages 527-559, November.
    10. Lai, Kam-Wah & Leung, Patrick W., 2018. "Unintended consequences of securities regulation: Stock value loss upon potential involuntary delisting in Hong Kong," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 219-226.
    11. Gautam Milind Gokhale & Ankur Mittal, 2024. "Exploring the Nexus of Capital Market and Investor Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 14(2), pages 65-76, March.
    12. Docherty, Paul & Easton, Steve & Pinder, Sean, 2021. "Flights-to-control: Time variation in the value of a vote," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Yuan‐Teng Hsu & Chia‐Wei Huang, 2020. "Why do stock repurchases change over time?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 26(4), pages 938-957, September.
    14. Fakhroddin MohammadRezaei & Omid Faraji & Zabihollah Rezaee & Reza Gholami-Jamkarani & Mehdi Yari, 2024. "Substantive or symbolic compliance with regulation, audit fees and audit quality," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 32-51, March.
    15. Hyun Min Oh & Ho young Shin, 2019. "A Study on the Relationship between Analysts’ Cash Flow Forecasts Issuance and Accounting Information: Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-26, June.
    16. Ormazabal, Gaizka, 2018. "The Role of Stakeholders in Corporate Governance: A View from Accounting Research," CEPR Discussion Papers 12775, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    17. Nikos Vafeas, 2009. "Is Accounting Education Valued by the Stock Market? Evidence from Corporate Controller Appointments," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 1143-1174, December.
    18. Hao, Jinji, 2024. "Disclosure regulation, cost of capital, and firm values," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1).
    19. Liu, Haiyue & Wang, Yile & Shi, Xiaoshuang & Pang, Lina, 2022. "How do environmental policies affect capital market reactions? Evidence from China's construction waste treatment policy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).

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