This paper analyzes the relationship between tax heterogeneity and the behavior of stock prices and trading volume around the ex-dividend day within an equilibrium framework. We conclude that, even in a world without transaction costs, the price drop on the ex-day need not be equal to the dividend amount. Our model accounts for the higher market trading volume around the ex-day, and shows this to be a function of tax heterogeneity among traders. We show that the volume of trade around the ex-day contains information about investors' tax preferences above and beyond the information contained in the ex-day price alone. Consistent with the model's predictions, our empirical analysis reveals that as the risk associated with the ex-dividend day increases, or tax heterogeneity decreases, trading volume decreases.

Restrictions on transaction price changes are a feature of many security markets. This paper analyzes the impact of such price continuity rules on price dynamics and examines possible rationales for their existence. Contrary to popular belief, continuity rules need not reduce price efficiency, although they do result in a redistribution of profits among traders and dealers. Indeed, continuity rules may enhance price efficiency because traders have greater incentives to gather costly information. We provide a new rationale for continuity rules besides the stated objective of stabilizing prices. In particular, we show that continuity requirements act to restrict dealers' expected profits from trading with liquidity traders. The results provide insights into the design of an “optimal” continuity rule.

Empirical studies of dual class shares indicate that superior voting shares (SVS) sell at a premium relative to their counterpart restricted shares (RVS). This paper uses Toronto Stock Exchange data to show that SVS price premium over RVS reflects the expected takeover premium paid to shareholders outside the control block. Thus, marginal shareholders pay a higher SVS price in anticipation of receiving a differential takeover bid as suggested by the extra merger hypothesis. Further analysis indicates that voting power increases the price premium while ownership, size, and the higher trading liquidity of RVS are inversely related to the premium.

Prior empirical evidence of predictable variations in stock returns following large price changes is found to be, at least in part, driven by the sample selection bias arising from the systematic movement of closing transaction prices within the bid-ask spread. By using the average of the bid-ask prices in the sample selection process, the price reversal on the day following the events (day +1) disappears. For a short-run period after day +1, however, systematic abnormal return patterns are still observed. These short-run price reversals persist even after controlling for the influence of systematic trading patterns around the events. However, investigation of contrarian investment profits from these short-run price reversals shows that the average abnormal returns are not large enough to cover the transaction price movement between the bid and ask prices.

Offshore dollar-denominated equity-linked issues were a more important source of funds for Japanese companies during the 1980s than domestic equity and straight debt issues combined. Using a sample of Japanese equity-linked offshore issues from 1977 to 1989, we find that the announcement of these issues is accompanied by a significant positive abnormal return. This contrasts with evidence that U.S. equity-linked issues have a significant negative stock price reaction. We provide an explanation for the difference in stock price reactions between U.S. and Japanese issues that is based on the greater influence on managers' security issue decisions of long-term investors and banks in Japan than in the U.S.

Hull and White (1993) introduced a method to extend lattice-based contingent claim valuation techniques to problems with path-dependent payoffs. This paper builds upon their method in the process of valuing two types of commodity purchase contracts that exhibit a form of timing flexibility not previously analyzed in the literature. The techniques demonstrated take advantage of characteristics of claims that simplify incorporation of path dependencies. Possible uses for the methods demonstrated include the valuation of: portfolios of mortgages, capital projects where intensity of use affects productivity of the asset, and capital projects with storage characteristics.

We examine the empirical results from implementation of portfolio insurance strategies employing currency spot and futures options. Hypotheses are generated from Ogden and Tucker's (1988) generalizations concerning the relative values of American spot currency options and currency futures options. We find that protective puts using futures options are generally dominated by both protective puts that use options on spot currencies and by fiduciary calls on futures contracts. This suggests that the prices of puts on foreign currency futures contracts are too high, relative to foreign currency futures calls and to puts on spot currencies.

We compare the volatility of 24-hour returns computed from the opening and closing prices of a diverse sample of Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) stocks. We find that volatility at the open is greater than volatility at the close only for the most actively traded TSE stocks. Daytime and overnight return covariances suggest that the volatility patterns are explained by the effect of implicit bid-ask spreads at the open and partial price adjustment at the close, both of which are related to the intensity of trading. Our results challenge the view that open-to-open returns are more volatile than close-to-close returns for stocks, in general, and are consistent with the hypothesis that TSE price limit rules have a significant impact on the dynamics of security prices.