Assessing the Valuation and Risk Implications of Fair Value Accounting for Liabilities: Evidence from FAS 159's Reported Gains and Losses

This study examines the implications of fair value liability gains and losses arising from the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159 (hereafter FAS 159). We find a positive correspondence between a firm’s FAS 159 fair value liability gains and losses and stock returns. Furt...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: CHUNG, Sung Gon, LOBO, Gerald, OW YONG, Kevin
Format: text
Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soa_research/1051
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soa_research/article/2050/viewcontent/sunggonchung_paper.pdf
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Institution: Singapore Management University
Language: English
Description
Summary:This study examines the implications of fair value liability gains and losses arising from the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 159 (hereafter FAS 159). We find a positive correspondence between a firm’s FAS 159 fair value liability gains and losses and stock returns. Further analysis indicates that fair value gains and losses from liabilities attributable to the change in a firm’s own credit risk, which are considered counter-intuitive by critics of fair value accounting for liabilities, are also positively related to returns. Lastly, we document that the volatility of earnings that incorporate FAS 159 liability fair value gains and losses is positively associated with market measures of firm risk. Our study contributes to the controversy over recognition of liability fair value gains and losses by providing direct empirical evidence that such gains and losses are perceived as economic income by market participants.