The Journal of Finance

The Journal of Finance publishes leading research across all the major fields of finance. It is one of the most widely cited journals in academic finance, and in all of economics. Each of the six issues per year reaches over 8,000 academics, finance professionals, libraries, and government and financial institutions around the world. The journal is the official publication of The American Finance Association, the premier academic organization devoted to the study and promotion of knowledge about financial economics.

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Time Variation in Liquidity: The Role of Market‐Maker Inventories and Revenues

Published: 1/13/2010,  Volume: 65,  Issue: 1  |  DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.2009.01530.x  |  Cited by: 284

CAROLE COMERTON‐FORDE, TERRENCE HENDERSHOTT, CHARLES M. JONES, PAMELA C. MOULTON, MARK S. SEASHOLES

We show that market‐maker balance sheet and income statement variables explain time variation in liquidity, suggesting liquidity‐supplier financing constraints matter. Using 11 years of NYSE specialist inventory positions and trading revenues, we find that aggregate market‐level and specialist firm‐level spreads widen when specialists have large positions or lose money. The effects are nonlinear and most prominent when inventories are big or trading results have been particularly poor. These sensitivities are smaller after specialist firm mergers, consistent with deep pockets easing financing constraints. Finally, compared to low volatility stocks, the liquidity of high volatility stocks is more sensitive to inventories and losses.


The Leasing Puzzle

Published: 9/1984,  Volume: 39,  Issue: 4  |  DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1984.tb03892.x  |  Cited by: 145

JAMES ANG, PAMELA P. PETERSON

Prevailing theories in finance and economics suggest that leases and debt are substitutes; an increase in one should led to a compensating decrease in the other. In particular, there are three views on the magnitude of the substitution coefficient. Standard finance theory treats cash flows from lease obligations as equivalent to debt cash flows, thus describing the tradeoff between debt and leases as one‐to‐one. Others are willing to use a tradeoff of leases for debt which is less than, but close to, one. The rationale for a dollar of leases using less of debt capacity than a dollar of debt obligation is based upon the differences in the terms and nature of lease and debt contracts. Finally, there are some who argue that since leased assets may be firm‐specific, the risk of moral hazard may be great, resulting in a tradeoff of greater than one‐to‐one; that is, a dollar of a lease obligation uses more of debt capacity than a dollar of a debt obligation.A series of empirical tests are performed in this study on samples of approximately 600 firms, covering the years 1976 through 1981, with none of the three views supported by the results. Instead, the results indicate that leases and debt are complements; greater use of debt is associated with a greater use of leasing. This finding reappears consistently for each year, each definition of leverage ratios, and each approach to analysis. This complementary relationship persists even after refinements are made to the estimation technique.


Marginal Tax Rates: Evidence from Nontaxable Corporate Bonds: A Note

Published: 3/1985,  Volume: 40,  Issue: 1  |  DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1985.tb04953.x  |  Cited by: 18

JAMES ANG, DAVID PETERSON, PAMELA PETERSON

This study offers an alternative method of calculating marginal personal tax rates through the pairing of nontaxable (industrial development and pollution control) and taxable corporate bonds. This procedure is shown to produce matched bond pairs that are comparable. Two hundred pairs of bonds are examined from the second quarter of 1973 through the second quarter of 1983. Testing of the marginal tax rate relationships indicates that the marginal personal tax rate is less than the corporate statutory tax rate.


Shelf Registrations and Shareholder Wealth: A Comparison of Shelf and Traditional Equity Offerings

Published: 6/1986,  Volume: 41,  Issue: 2  |  DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6261.1986.tb05048.x  |  Cited by: 15

NORMAN H. MOORE, DAVID R. PETERSON, PAMELA P. PETERSON

This study examines the effect of issuing common stock on shareholder wealth under two alternative methods of registration, shelf registration under the Securities and Exchange Commission's Rule 415 and the traditional method of registering shares for immediate sale. The stock price reactions accompanying security registrations and offerings over the period from March 1982 through November 1983 are examined for over two hundred issues. A negative price reaction is observed for traditional and shelf registrations for both utility and non‐utility issuers. No statistically significant difference is observed between shelf and traditional registrations. Further negative price reactions precede the offerings of these securities.