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The attenuation effect of social media: Evidence from acquisitions by large firms

Mohamad Mazboudi and Samer Khalil

Journal of Financial Stability, 2017, vol. 28, issue C, 115-124

Abstract: We examine the role of social media in firm acquisitions. Twitter utilizes the “push” technology that allows firms to reduce information asymmetry by disseminating news to a broader set of investors in a timely manner. Using hand collected acquisition announcements from Twitter covering the period from 2009 to 2012, we find that the acquirer size is a main determinant of disclosing acquisition announcements on Twitter. Large acquirers announce their acquisitions on Twitter and, as a result, are able to attenuate the anticipated negative market reaction at acquisition announcement. We find no evidence that the attenuation effect of announcing acquisitions on Twitter subsequently reverses or that announcing acquisitions on Twitter is positively associated with pre-announcement earnings management. Overall, our results suggest that Twitter has become an important investor relation channel for major corporate events such as acquisition announcements and that large acquirers can use this new channel to enhance stability in their stock prices.

Keywords: Acquisitions; Social media; Twitter; Information asymmetry; Disclosure; Stock price stability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G14 G34 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:finsta:v:28:y:2017:i:c:p:115-124

DOI: 10.1016/j.jfs.2016.11.010

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Journal of Financial Stability is currently edited by I. Hasan, W. C. Hunter and G. G. Kaufman

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