Information uncertainty of fiscal year end quarter earnings

Linda H. Chen, George J. Jiang and Kevin X. Zhu

Review of Accounting and Finance, 2022, vol. 21, issue 2, 83-108

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate whether within the same firm, earnings risk is exacerbated in the fiscal year end (FYE) quarters relative to that of other quarters, more importantly, if this type of earnings risk is unique. Further, the authors discuss solutions to mitigate this type of information risk. Design/methodology/approach - This study provides evidence that the information risk associated with FYE quarter earnings cannot be explained by other identified risk factors. Solutions to mitigate this risk include strong corporate governance and a more streamlined financial reporting structure. Findings - The paper shows that there is significantly lower earnings response coefficient for FYE quarters than for non-FYE quarters (1984–2015). Furthermore, strong corporate governance and a more streamlined financial reporting structure, either by firms willingly reducing the usage of extraordinary item reporting or by FASB codification changes such as FASB 145, can help mitigate this type of information uncertainty. Research limitations/implications - This study explains that the causes of the exacerbated information risk associated with FYE quarter earnings identified in prior literature, namely, the “integral explanation” and “manipulation explanation,” are not mutually exclusive. Therefore, the authors deem it futile to disentangle the two. Instead, the authors offer two possible solutions.

Keywords: Market reactions; FASB statement no. 145; Fiscal year end (FYE); Quarter earnings; Information uncertainty; g14; m41; n21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:rafpps:raf-11-2020-0317

DOI: 10.1108/RAF-11-2020-0317

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