Issue #2 (Volume 21 2024)

Researchers have scrutinized the link between investor sentiment and stock market liquidity globally, yet few have delved into this dynamic in emerging markets, especially China. Utilizing a sample of 1,839 publicly listed companies in China from 2010 to 2019, this study applies firm- and year-fixed-effects models to explore the nexus between investor sentiment and stock illiquidity, employing the Amihud measure for stock illiquidity assessment. The outcomes of these fixed-effect regressions illustrate a significantly positive relationship between investor sentiment and stock liquidity in the Chinese market. The positive link is more evident in scenarios characterized by high firm leverage, rapid revenue growth, larger corporations, greater institutional ownership, higher stock volatility, and lower book-to-market ratios. Intriguingly, this analysis incorporates the quadratic term of investor sentiment to examine the potential for a nonlinear dynamic between stock illiquidity and investor sentiment. The findings elucidate that the effect of investor sentiment on stock liquidity diminishes at elevated levels of sentiment, revealing a nonlinear inverse U-shaped relationship. The positive correlation between investor sentiment and stock liquidity persists across the three divisions of the Chinese Shenzhen Stock Exchange and remains robust using alternative liquidity measures, such as Roll’s impact and zeros impact. Addressing causality concerns, current investor sentiment appears to influence subsequent liquidity levels. These results provide valuable perspectives for policymakers, business executives, and investors in the stock market.

Acknowledgment
This research was funded by the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province General Program [Y202353438], the Wenzhou Association for Science and Technology—Service and Technology Innovation Program [jczc0254], the Wenzhou-Kean University Student Partnering with Faculty Research Program [WKUSPF2023004], and the Wenzhou-Kean University International Collaborative Research Program [ICRP2023002].

The management of an entity faces diverse decisions concerned with corporate operations and financing choices. Investigating various factors affecting a company’s cash holdings provides valuable insights into the decision-making processes of an organization. This study examines the effect of Anti-Takeover Provisions (ATPs), Managerial Overconfidence, and their interaction on the level of an entity’s cash holdings. Conducting a regression analysis, this study examines 3,409 firm-year observations from Korean listed entities covering 2011 to 2018. Results reveal that anti-takeover provisions positively influence an entity’s cash holdings (coefficient = 0.464, t-stat value = 7.83). Additionally, managerial overconfidence negatively affects cash holdings (coefficient = –0.140, t-stat value = –2.77). Furthermore, the interaction between anti-takeover provisions and managerial overconfidence significantly influences cash holdings (coefficient = –0.402, t-stat value = –3.46), especially in firms employing specific provisions such as supermajority vote requirements for executive dismissal (coefficient = –0.445, t-stat value = –2.73), issuance of convertible preferred stock (coefficient = –0.341, t-stat value = –1.76), and golden parachutes (coefficient = –0.715, t-stat value = –3.02). This study provides empirical evidence on how anti-takeover provisions and managerial traits influence corporate cash reserves. The study offers valuable insights for regulators, investors, and corporate management. It also emphasizes prudent cash management, urging firms, especially those with anti-takeover provisions and overconfident management, to reconsider financial policies to mitigate risks associated with aggressive decision-making.

The study is an attempt to examine the day-of-the-week anomaly of fourteen Indian sectoral indices and identify profitable opportunities, considering multiple positive and negative events. The aim of this study is to analyze the day-of-the-week effect on fourteen Indian sectoral indices and find profitable opportunities while considering multiple events that have positive and negative impacts. The study takes into consideration event-based anomalies, both national and global, and provides timing for trading to generate abnormal returns from the market. At first, dummy variable regression analysis was used to understand the initial anomalies. Later, time-varying symmetrical and asymmetrical volatility models, such as Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (1, 1) and Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (1, 1) were applied to determine the short-term and long-term volatility persistence. These models capture the leverage effect from various events that occurred during the study. The results showed mixed outcomes during multiple positive and negative shocks. After the recession, anomalies were observed across all sectoral indices, except for commodities, energy, and information technology. During the scam period, anomalies occurred in all sectors, except for consumer durables, financial services, and information technology. However, after the new government took over, anomalies persisted in all sectors. During the pandemic, anomalies persisted in all sectors except for finance, IT, pharmaceuticals, and services. Hence, national and global events have shown varied impacts on the Indian markets. The study provides investors with implications on strategies and timing techniques for planning their investments in different sectors of the Indian economy.

Satisfying the consumer and contributing to societal well-being have been globally acknowledged, and these developments consequently boost corporate image, attract investors, increase stock prices, enhance firm value, and enable industrial and other firms to contribute to national development. This paper examines how product responsibility and philanthropy affect the performance of industrial goods firms in Nigeria. A sample of 7 firms was selected from 24 listed firms after employing a judgmental sampling technique and using secondary data and a quantitative research method. Data validation and analysis were aided by econometric views statistical software, panel data regression, fixed and random effects estimators, stationarity test, cross-section dependence test, Durbin-Watson test, and Hausman test. The study revealed that investment in product responsibility, as evidenced by the rising stock turnover rate, is value-enhancing in Nigeria {B1 = 0.076807, P = 0.0171 or P < 0.05}, while philanthropic donation is value destroying {B1 = –0.369535, P = 0.5817 or P > 0.05}. It was concluded that consumers’ confidence in corporate institutions can enhance corporate value, while investment in philanthropy is not usually value-enhancing when done irresponsibly and non-strategically. The study, therefore, recommended that investment in product responsibility should be consolidated to sustain the rising stock turnover rate, while investment in philanthropy should be done strategically and responsibly to make it value-enhancing.

Acknowledgment
This research was based on Nnamdi Azikiwe University Ph.D. Dissertation funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund), Nigeria. University of Calabar in Nigeria is highly acknowledged for funding the PhD dissertation through its Tetfund platform.

Green bonds are an increasingly used instrument to catalyze cash flows towards a low-carbon economy. Nonetheless, the existence of an actual price advantage is still uncertain. This research paper aims to assess whether there is a green bond premium (“greenium”) for green bonds relative to conventional bonds with similar characteristics, and how liquidity may affect the determination of a price advantage. It analyzes the yield differentials between green and conventional bonds using three different methods. First, a Nelson-Siegel-Svensson method is executed, estimating the premium both as the yield spreads and as the differentials in Z-spreads. Using a matching method and creating a sample of green and synthetic conventional bonds, the second methodology consists in calculating the distances between each categories’ yield for the same duration. Finally, a fixed-effect regression is performed to better control the liquidity bias. In the first case, a positive premium emerges when analyzing the yield spreads (+37.89 basis points) and the Z-spreads (+10.62 basis points). The second method mitigates the liquidity risk by creating a sample of synthetic bonds and reveals a yield spread of –15.89 basis points. Lastly, the regression method shows a negative greenium equal to –17.1487 basis points. Thus, a greenium emerges from all the three different methods, but its nature, sign, and real determinants are still uncertain. It is, therefore, not possible to conclude a definite price advantage for issuers of green bonds.

This study explores the nexus between internal audit, audit committee attributes, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure quality in A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2010 to 2019. Utilizing refined samples and robust datasets, this investigation reveals critical insights that a robust internal control system significantly correlates with higher-quality CSR disclosure, underscoring its pivotal role in safeguarding non-financial reporting integrity and enhancing transparency in CSR disclosures. Larger audit committees are positively associated with improved CSR disclosure quality. This highlights the strategic advantage of a diverse and expansive audit committee in navigating the complexities of CSR reporting. Contrary to expectations, the proportion of independent directors on the audit committee and the frequency of audit committee meetings do not show a significant positive relationship with CSR disclosure. Companies benefit from strategic investments in internal control systems, crucial for non-financial reporting integrity and fortified CSR disclosure practices. In conclusion, this study provides concise insights into critical factors influencing CSR disclosure quality in Chinese companies, offering actionable implications for corporate practices and regulatory frameworks.

Acknowledgment
This paper is co-funded by the European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) within the project “EU BEST PRACTICE OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT, SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ACCOUNTING AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING” – 101047667-ERASMUS-JMO-2021-MODULE https://jm.snau.edu.ua/en/eu-best-practice-of-life-cycle-assessment-social-envi­ron­mental-accounting-and-sustainability-reporting/
Oleh Pasko expresses sincere gratitude for the support from the Kirkland Research Program, generously provided by the Leaders of Change Foundation established by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.

Understanding consumer intentions regarding mobile wallet (m-wallet) adoption is paramount in the mobile commerce landscape, particularly in cash-centric economies like Jordan. Despite efforts to shift toward digital payments, cash transactions remain prevalent, highlighting the need to explore m-wallet service adoption dynamics in Jordan.
This study aims to identify the factors influencing Jordanian consumers’ adoption of m-wallet services, focusing on the motivations and barriers. Utilizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as a theoretical foundation, the research integrates various models to assess technology acceptance. A questionnaire distributed among m-wallet users from fintech companies in Jordan garnered 421 responses, analyzed using the Smart PLS 3 software.
The findings indicate a positive impact of all variables on the propensity for m-wallet adoption in Jordan. Notably, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and facilitating conditions significantly influenced user decisions, evidenced by R-square values of 0.78%, 0.758% and 0.684%, respectively. Meanwhile, perceived value, security, privacy, and social influence had a moderate effect. The attractiveness of alternatives and attitudes towards m-wallet usage showed lesser impact, with R-square values at 26.7% and 22.8%, respectively, illustrating varied influences on adoption rates in determining consumer adoption of m-wallet services in Jordan.
This paper enhances research on mobile commerce in developing economies, focusing on Jordan. It explores the adoption of m-wallet services by fintech users, presenting a detailed model. The study provides valuable insights for advancing digital payment systems in this region.

Since its public introduction in 2009, Bitcoin has grown to be the most well-known cryptocurrency worldwide. There is still debate as to whether Bitcoin may be used as a hedge against other assets. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between Bitcoin and conventional commodity markets such as gold, crude oil, stock markets, and investor interest (quantified via Google Trends). In addition, the paper also tests Bitcoin’s safe haven role compared to other commodity markets. The Vector Autoregression model using daily database collected during the period 2013–2021 is employed to investigate the relationship between Bitcoin and traditional commodity markets. The impulse response function is used to analyze Bitcoin price movements against economic shocks from gold, oil prices, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In addition, the value-at-risk (VaR) model is used to test Bitcoin’s safe-haven property compared to other conventional commodity markets. The research results show that Bitcoin has negative impacts on gold, crude oil prices, and the stock market. Besides, Bitcoin responds negatively to a sharp decline in investor interest. Furthermore, the results of the VaR model show that Bitcoin is the second most volatile and risky asset, only after the crude oil market, and much riskier than gold. This result proves that Bitcoin cannot yet be considered a safe-haven instrument. These findings have several implications for investors and policymakers to minimize the risks associated with this cryptocurrency.

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to send their sincere thanks to the Reviewers and Editorial Board of the Journal. Their valuable comments and helpful support helped improve the paper’s quality. No funding was granted for this study.

Rare events (RE) are substantial with significant impact but are difficult to predict, often deviating from regular expectations. These events trigger psychological reactions in the market and susceptible to irrational decisions that challenge logical assumptions. The rapidity of the crisis has led to highly volatile market conditions, fostering instances of asymmetric information. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the impact of attention on market dynamics by examining diverse possibilities over time. The article focused on all publicly listed industries on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX/BEI). Using time series regression data from 1997 to 2020, the article comprised 5,615 observations across nine sectors. The primary model was based on three factors originating from the Fama-French and prospect theory, with attention serving as the main risk element to assess the impact of attention on abnormal returns (AR) during RE. The results disclosed that various events showed diverse effects on attention behavior, varying across all sectors. Additionally, moderation analysis showed a correlation between attention and AR. The results signified that RE mitigates the negative relationship between attention and AR. The adverse impact of attention on AR diminishes during RE. These results contributed to the literature by providing insights into the excessive attention to specific information disrupts market mechanisms, triggers disproportionate emotional responses, and alters investor preferences. Furthermore, this study established that events prompting excessive attention have varying effects on attention behavior across all sectors.

Since the financial meltdown, studies on systemic risk and financial contagion have gained currency. Events like the COVID pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have fueled such an importance. This study examines the impact of the invasion on volatility transmissions across major stock markets worldwide. The stock indices considered in this study are ASX 200, ESTOXX 40, FTSE 100, HNGSNG, NIFTY 50, NIKKIE, and S&P 500. The work uses Vector Auto Regression (VAR) to study the transmission of returns. Later, the work performs Dynamic Conditional Covariance-Generalized Auto Regression Conditional Heteroskedasticity (DCC-GARCH) on the residuals where the transmission of returns was significant. The DCC-GARCH (E-GARCH) shows that all the asymmetric transmissions are negative. The study finds that co-movements of stock returns for the following pairs: ESTOXX 50-S&P 500, NIFTY 50-FTSE100, NIFTY 50-NIKKIE, NIKKIE-ESTOXX 50, S&P 500-NIFTY 50, and SP500-HNGSNG significantly intensified after the declaration of invasion. Such intensification of co-movements does establish the contagion effect triggered by invasion. The study shows that ESTOXX 50, which has the closest geographical proximity to the war zone, happens to be the highest generator of spillovers.

The study delves into the nuanced interaction between foreign direct investment (FDI) and financial inclusion in the MENA region, spanning the years 2003 to 2022 and employing the General Method of Moments for rigorous analysis. Its primary objectives are to elucidate how financial inclusion influences FDI and to examine the mediating role of economic growth and inflation as key factors. Key findings reveal a robust positive correlation between financial inclusion and FDI inflows within MENA countries. Specifically, the study uncovers significant relationships between FDI and the various dimensions of financial inclusion, including access, availability, and usage. This underscores the pivotal role of inclusive financial systems in attracting foreign investment. Moreover, the study highlights the symbiotic relationship between economic growth and FDI, indicating that heightened levels of economic prosperity attract greater investment. This underscores the importance of fostering conducive economic conditions to attract foreign capital. Furthermore, the study underscores the critical role of financial inclusion in shaping monetary policy and mitigating investment risks. By facilitating access to capital and reducing uncertainty, financial inclusion promotes transparency and stability, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of foreign markets for investment.

The rapid advancement and adoption of fintech have significantly influenced the banking sector worldwide. This study aims to investigate the moderating effect of information technology infrastructure on the link between fintech adoption and organizational competitiveness in Jordanian commercial banks. The study chose a quantitative research methodology to conduct this study, based on a survey of 12 Jordanian commercial banks, chose a quantitative research methodology. The study distributed a structured questionnaire, which was filled out by managerial-level employees at the banks. From the 400 questionnaires distributed to the respondents, 215 returned valid responses, allowing further analysis. The study carried out the data analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results suggested that the adoption of fintech had a significant, positive direct impact on organizational competitiveness (H1: β = 0.409, t = 5.204, p = 0.001). Additionally, the study identified that IT infrastructure significantly moderates the relationships between fintech adoption and organizational competitiveness (H2: β = 0.257, t = 4.102, p = 0.000). This means, indeed, that fintech adoption independently augments the competitiveness of Jordanian commercial banks. Moreover, a solid presence in IT infrastructure further strengthens the positive effect. Such insights are highly valuable for bank managers and policymakers looking to improve organizational performance while incorporating strategic IT investments in the fintech domain.

Global scandals and the collapse of major entities without any prior warning have undermined stakeholder confidence in the auditing profession and have shown that users of financial statements may have different opinions on the auditors’ responsibilities, highlighting the audit expectation gap. The present study aims to identify the existence of an audit expectation gap and its components in an emerging country, namely Morocco. For this purpose, a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale was randomly administered to 152 respondents, including auditors, investors, managers, bankers, and academics. The study explores the audit expectation gap under several components, such as the auditor’s general responsibilities, auditor’s independence, his/her responsibility to prevent and detect fraud, his/her responsibility in assessing internal control, his/her responsibility in assessing the going concern assumption and audit report. The results of this paper show evidence of the audit expectation gap in Morocco in the studied components, except the audit report. The results of the study encourage public decision-makers and professional audit bodies in Morocco to adopt an expanded audit report containing more information on the audit mission and auditors’ and management’s responsibilities. On the other hand, training and education sessions on the nature and functions of auditing should be provided on an ongoing basis to the various users of audit reports.

This study investigates the evolving dynamics of the Indonesian stock market in relation to selected ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines) and global economic players (the US, Japan, and China) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing weekly data for the pandemic era (January 2020 – December 2021) and the post-pandemic period (January 2022 – December 2023), the ARDL technique reveals intricate relationships among these capital markets. Long-term analyses indicate that Singapore and the Philippines positively influenced Indonesia’s market during the pandemic. At the same time, China had a negative impact, highlighting heightened sensitivity and interconnectedness during crises. Since the pandemic, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, China, and Japan emerged as key positive influencers, with other countries showing insignificance. In the short term, during the pandemic, Malaysia, Thailand, and China had a significant positive impact on Indonesia’s capital market. However, only Malaysia continued to exert a significant influence on Indonesia after the pandemic. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamic interactions shaping Indonesia’s stock market performance amidst global economic fluctuations and crises.

The study analyzes the factors influencing integrated reporting and its implications for firm value with earnings quality as a moderating variable. The study was conducted on energy sector companies on stock exchanges of several Southeast Asian countries. The selection is due to Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to global market sentiment changes related to financial and sustainability aspects. The study employed the SEM-PLS analysis method. 208 data from 26 companies over 8 years were used. The investigation affirms that leverage, age, and board size have positively impacted integrated reporting. Firm size, growth, and board independence have a negative impact on integrated reporting. Profitability, board activity, and stakeholder pressure have not significantly influenced integrated reporting, but integrated reporting positively impacts firm value. Additionally, earnings quality does not moderate the influence of integrated reporting on firm value. The study provides insights for companies to improve the presentation of high-quality information to stakeholders. Increasing the firm value of energy companies in Southeast Asian countries needs to be done as a progressive concern for environmental impacts and sustainably creating integrated reporting. 

This study’s purpose is to assess the influence of small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) budgeting skills on loan repayment in South Africa. The quantitative research approach was selected as the appropriate methodology for this study, while the purposive sampling approach was selected as the appropriate way to select participants for this study. The primary data for this study came from respondents who were business owners of SMEs in the retail, hardware, construction, and manufacturing industries. SPSS was used to analyze the acquired data. A total of 380 research questionnaires were distributed, and there were 375 that were returned for analysis (which gives a response rate of 99%). Both a regression analysis and a correlation analysis using Pearson’s method were carried out. Pearson’s correlation coefficient revealed a positive and significant relationship between SMEs’ budgeting skills and loan repayment at the level of r =.250, p < 0.0005. These results were supported by the finding that there is a positive and significant association between these two factors. According to the findings of the study, it is recommended that financial providers educate their SMEs on how to prepare various types of budgets, how to follow up and compare their financial objectives to their performance, and that financial institutions and government organizations should assist SMEs with budgeting skills to decrease SME loan defaults.

This study investigates the implications of the interaction of financial literacy, regulatory technology, and decentralized finance applications for financial sector development. A two-step analytical regression approach on EViews 10 was used, which performs a one-factor analysis for each variable to identify the individual impact of each factor. A linear FMOLS approach was used to evaluate the cooperative effect of integration. The methodology was implemented on a dataset comprising 2,880 observations from 23 financial institutions in Jordan.
The findings support the hypothesized dynamic interrelations between the essential Fintech factors relevant to the sustainable development of the financial sector, including significant and insignificant factors with the impact of inflation, which provides an adequate understanding of Fintech’s evolution. Additionally, the outcomes consider post-2017 regulatory changes that reflect the role of supervision and regulation for the financial sector’s flexibility and efficiency. Therefore, the results reveal the essential contribution of integrating decentralized finance applications, financial literacy, and regulatory technology to the development of Jordan’s financial sector. Financial literacy serves as a facilitator, regulatory technology is a compliance enabler, and decentralized finance applications are driving forces of innovation and financial inclusion, ensuring a robust and sustainable financial ecosystem. It is shown that the interaction of factors forces the sector’s development, reflecting the world’s trend in digital inclusion and viable financial development.

This study examines the influence of the mandatory disclosure of corporate governance reports on stock retirement in Korea. Given the challenges of applying stock repurchasing to measure shareholder return policy in the Korean stock market, this study focuses on stock retirement as a key indicator to examine the effectiveness of introducing the corporate governance report on shareholder return policy. Employing the Difference-in-Differences approach followed, this paper conducts empirical analyses based on 5,932 observations from 2011 to 2020. The main findings indicate a significant increase in stock retirement by companies implementing mandatory disclosures of corporate governance reports (coef = 0.018, p-value <0.01) compared to companies that do not disclose them. The results of the alternative measures for stock retirement and propensity score matching (PSM) model also present a positive association between mandatory disclosure of corporate governance reports and stock retirement, respectively (coef = 0.400 and 1.421, p-value <0.01; coef = 0.019, p-value < 0.1). This study provides evidence to support the notion that introducing corporate governance reports enhances overall shareholder returns, leading to an increase in stock retirement. Moreover, these findings validate that stock retirement is an adequate proxy for analyzing the level of shareholder returns in Korean firms.

This study aims to determine the impact of macroeconomic variables on bitcoin prices in the United States. Bitcoin is one of the cryptocurrencies that has the highest price and the most users in the United States in recent years. This study uses monthly data on inflation, interest rates, USD/EUR rates, gold prices, and bitcoin prices. To achieve the objectives of this study, Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) and Multivariate Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (MGARCH) were used. The results showed that there is a negative and significant relationship between the variables of inflation, interest rates, and USD/EUR rates affecting the price of Bitcoin in that period. Conversely, there is a positive and significant relationship between the price of gold and the price of Bitcoin in the United States during that period. An in-depth understanding of how macroeconomic factors such as inflation, interest rates and the USD/EUR rates affect Bitcoin price is key to making smart investment decisions in an increasingly complex crypto market. The findings of this analysis confirm that the significant relationship between macroeconomic variables and Bitcoin price provides deeper insights for investors to anticipate market movements and design adaptive investment strategies.