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The cognitive biases exhibited by investors could hinder their capacity for logical reasoning and impact their perception and reaction to information when making financial choices. So, this study was done to identify the behavioral biases that hinder investors' sound decision-making at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

A cross-sectional study was undertaken employing a causal research design approach. Questionnaires were administered to individual investors of the PSX as the data collection methodology. The data were subsequently analyzed through the utilization of the Smart PLS Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique.

The results suggest that information factors and cognitive biases, namely home bias, geographical bias, investor sentiment, salience, and over/under reaction have a positive association with the investors' choices at PSX.

The study’s emphasis is on the impact of behavioral biases on individual investors only, even though such biases also influence the investment decisions of institutional investors.

The study holds implications for scholars engaged in the field of behavioral finance as well as professionals involved in the stock market, particularly those interacting with individual investors and personal finance. Additionally, the current study will take into account investors, financial advisors, practitioners, policymakers, investment experts, stakeholders or target groups, etc. to support various groups in their professional activity and to help them overcome such biases that influence their sound decision-making power.

The innovative aspect of this research is its ability to advance the understanding of the conceptual underpinnings and social structure of behavioral biases by critically analyzing the body of prior research and adding value to the existing body of literature on behavioral finance in Pakistan by investigating the combined impact of never-studied variables, i.e. geographical bias and information variables, understudied behavioral variables, i.e. home bias and salience and studied variables, i.e. investor sentiment and over/under reaction on individual investor investment decisions at PSX.

This study aims to investigate the effects and implications of overconfidence in a competitive game involving multiple newsvendors. This study explores how overconfidence influences system coordination, optimal stocking strategies and competition among newsvendors in the context of the well-known newsvendor stocking problem.

The study applies robust optimization theory and the absolute regret minimization criterion to analyze the competitive game of overconfident newsvendors. This study considers the asymmetric information held by newsvendors regarding market demand and obtains a closed-form solution for the competing game. The effects of overconfidence on system coordination and optimal stocking strategies are examined.

The results of the study indicate that overconfidence can act as a positive force in reducing the effects of overstocking caused by competition and asymmetric information among newsvendors. The analysis reveals that there exists an optimal level of overconfidence that coordinates the ordering system of multiple overconfident newsvendors, leading to first-best outcomes under certain conditions. Additionally, numerical examples confirm the obtained results. Furthermore, considering newsvendors' expected profit, the study finds that a higher degree of overconfidence does not necessarily result in lower actual expected profit.

Despite the significant contributions of this study to theoretical and managerial insights, this study does have certain limitations. First, in the establishment of the belief demand function, the substitution ratio, which quantifies the transfer, is assumed to be an exogenous variable. However, in reality, this is often influenced by factors such as the price of goods and the distance between stores. Therefore, one direction worth studying in the future is to explore the uncertainty associated with the demand substitution ratio and integrate that as an endogenous variable into the optimization model. Second, this study does not address the type of product and solely focuses on quantitatively analyzing the effect of salvage value on the optimal stocking strategy. Future studies can explore the effect of degree of perishability and selling period of the product on the stocking. Third, the focus of uncertainty in this study revolves around market demand, and the implications of this uncertainty are significant. A recent study (Rahbari et al., 2023) addressed an innovative robust optimization problem related to canned foods during pandemic crises. The recent study's findings highlighted the effectiveness of expanding canned food exports to neighboring countries with economic justification as the best strategy for companies amidst the disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Incorporating the issue of disruptions into the authors' research would be interesting and challenging.

From a managerial perspective, the authors' study provides a research paradigm for game-theoretic inventory problems in scenarios where the market demand distribution is unknown. While most inventory problems are analyzed and solved based on expectation-based optimization criteria, which rely on an accurate distribution of market demand, obtaining this information in practice can often be challenging or expensive for decision-makers. Consequently, a discrepancy arises between real-world observations and theoretical identifications. This study aimed to complement previous research and address the inconsistency between observations and theoretical identification.

The authors' research contributes to the existing understanding of overconfidence and assists individuals in making appropriate stocking strategies based on the individuals' level of overconfidence. Diverging significantly from the traditional view of overconfidence as a negative bias, the authors' results show the view's potential positive impact within a competitive environment, resulting in greater actual expected profits for newsvendors.

This study contributes to the existing literature by examining the effects of overconfidence in a competitive game of newsvendors. This study extends the analysis of the well-known newsvendor stocking problem by incorporating overconfidence and considering the implications for system coordination and competition. The application of robust optimization theory and the absolute regret minimization criterion provides a novel approach to studying overconfidence in this context.

The rise of the mobile Internet has accumulated much text information in various online financial forums. Such information often contains the emotional attitudes of investors toward financial technology (fintech) platforms, so extracting the sentimental tendency information has great practical value for the development of fintech platforms. Based on the investor sentiment theory, the paper aims to analyze the relevant social media data and test the influence path of online news evaluation on the stock price fluctuation of fintech platforms.

Taking Oriental Fortune as the research object, this paper selects multiple variables such as stock bar popularity, snowball popularity, news popularity and news sentiment scores collected by UQER and combines the sentiment scores of single daily news into a daily sentiment score. Based on the period from November 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, during the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as the background, the authors conduct the Granger causality test based on the vector autoregressive (VAR) model and analyze the relevant evaluation of Oriental Fortune through the empirical model.

The authors' results show that different online evaluations impact the rise and fall of stock prices differently, while news popularity has the most significant impact. Besides, news sentiment scores on share price fluctuation have a relatively substantial influence. These findings indicate that the authoritative news evaluation can strongly guide investors to make relevant investment behavior operations in the information dissemination process, significantly affecting stock prices.

The research findings of this paper have good inspiration and reference values for investors and financial regulators.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic downturn in the global stock markets. Investors look for safe stocks that can provide better risk-adjusted returns. Stocks with higher Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) scores can be good choices for investors. This study focuses on this argument by examining the relationship between ESG indicators and stock returns while considering financial and macroeconomic variables.

In this study, 39 non-financial firms listed in Nifty-50, for which data is available, have been included. Panel data from 2018 to 2021 is collected to examine this relationship in the presence of COVID-19. Additionally, the panel regression method is used.

The empirical findings indicate a positive relationship between ESG scores and stock returns. This relationship holds even when the control variables like Return on Assets (ROA), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Return on Equity (ROE), age, size, leverage of the firm, inflation, and crisis period are used in the model.

This study contributes by examining the linkage between ESG indicators and stock return while controlling the impact of the financial and macroeconomic variables in Indian markets, which has not been undertaken so far. Moreover, this is the first study to use the ESG score data of S&P Global, which gives more weight to the material factors of a firm.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-10-2023-0819.

In this study, we examine the influence of a firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on analysts’ stock recommendations and earnings forecast accuracy in the Chinese context.

We take a textual analysis approach to analyst research reports issued between 2010 and 2019, and differentiate between two distinct analyst categories: “sustainability analysts,” which refer to those more inclined to incorporate ESG information into their analyses, and “other analysts.”

Our evidence indicates that sustainability analysts tend to be significantly more likely than others to provide positive stock recommendations and demonstrate enhanced accuracy in forecasting earnings for companies with superior ESG performance. Our additional analyses reveal that this finding is particularly prominent for analysts who graduated from institutions emphasizing the protection of the environment, those recognized as star analysts, those affiliated with ESG-oriented brokerages, and forecasts made by analysts in the later part of the sample period. Our findings further indicate that sustainability analysts exhibit a more pronounced negative response when confronted with a negative ESG event.

In general, the evidence from this study reveals the interplay between ESG factors and analyst behavior, offering valuable implications for both financial analysts and sustainable investment strategies.

This paper aims to investigate the trading behavior of insider investors before and after information releases, identifying information-based manipulation in the stock market and the characteristics of companies whose stock prices are manipulated.

This paper employs logit regression method and an event study approach, utilizing hand-collected data from 2010 to 2022, with information categorized into negative and positive types.

The results show no evidence of insider trading or negative information-based manipulation in both high and low transparency firms. However, in highly transparent companies, the Board of Directors (BOD) avoids direct manipulation by using relatives to evade market supervisors. In low transparency companies, both the BOD and family members (FM) exploit positive information to benefit personally by buying shares before releasing favorable news, causing a sharp stock increase, and selling afterward. Continued buying by the BOD and FM also suggests likely positive news announcements.

The characteristics of information-based manipulation in companies, as provided by this study, help individual investors avoid investing in stocks that are highly susceptible to manipulation.

Empirical research on information-based manipulation is scarce due to limited secondary data. Our study uses transaction data from insider investors in a frontier market with low transparency and high information asymmetry. This enables us to analyze information-based stock price manipulation. We identify manipulation by comparing insiders' trading behavior with their market information releases, resulting in stock price fluctuations greater than 5%.

The significance of financial literacy (FL) in deciding how to allocate one’s investment capital has recently attracted much attention from various market participants and stakeholders. The study examines how FL affects individual investors' investment decisions (ID) in emerging markets. Additionally, the study investigates the potential mediating effects of attitude (ATT) and overconfidence bias (OCB) on the association between FL and ID.

The study employed a structured questionnaire to collect data from 311 individual investors in India, using both convenience and snowball sampling methods. The collected data were analysed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and processed through SMART PLS 4.0 software to test the study’s hypotheses.

FL alone may not greatly affect ID, but the study enhances understanding of investor behaviour by examining how ATT and OCB mediate the link between FL and ID. The findings imply that FL, combined with positive ATT and overconfidence, empowers individual investors with the knowledge and skills for appropriate decision-making.

This research would benefit financial institutions, financial experts, and individual investors in India since it enables them to evaluate the causes and biases affecting their IDs and manage their portfolios accordingly. Policymakers should develop appropriate FL programs for investors to make informed decisions to achieve financial well-being.

The paper is exceptional in its approach as it delves into the mediating function of ATT and OCB in the intricate association between FL and ID. This innovative approach sets it apart from other studies in the field, making it a unique contribution to literature.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2023-0370

The present study aims to identify how firms positioned their corporate reputation (i.e. impressiveness vs respectability) in their initial public offering (IPO) communication based on the impression formation model. Further, the study examined whether this presentation of corporate reputation was related to IPO success (i.e. stock price and volume of trading).

The present study analyzed 248 IPO prospectuses that were submitted to the major US stock markets. Specifically, various substantive and symbolic information and cues in IPO prospectuses were content analyzed.

The results suggest that bigger (in terms of revenue) IPO companies featured more “impressiveness” in their IPO prospectus, leading to greater IPO success. Bigger (in terms of both revenue and number of employees) IPO companies featured more “respectability” impressions in the IPO prospectus, although they did not achieve direct IPO success on the first day of IPO. Different types of industry used different information cues to feature “impressiveness” and/or “respectability,” suggesting that different types of firms view different cues to be important to IPO communication.

The results also suggest some practical guidelines for the strategic use of contents, tables and illustrations. Using more charts, tables and illustrations in IPO prospectus summaries was associated with a higher volume of trading on the first day. The more illustrations included in the IPO prospectus summaries, the less investors were willing to pay for initial stock prices.

IPO communication is a generally understudied area in corporate communication and strategic communication scholarship. The results should help to explain which communicative aspects and PR strategies effectively manage the firm’s impression to maximize the chances of an IPO success as well as initially build the financial reputation of a company. By doing so, the findings contribute to the broader advancement of financial communication within the strategic communications domain.

The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze the effect of dividend policy on shareholders’ wealth in Shariah-compliant (SC) and noncompliant (NC) nonfinancial firms in Pakistan.

All the nonfinancial firms listed on the Pakistan stock exchange have been taken as a sample for 2016–2021. The Karachi Meezan index screening criteria were applied to screen SC firms. Based on the BPLM and Hausman test results, the authors used the fixed-effect and pooled OLS model for SC and NC firms, respectively. The F-test was used to compare the effect of each dividend policy variable on shareholders’ wealth for both firm types.

The findings reveal that the dividend policy does affect the shareholders’ wealth in both firm types. Dividend per share (DPS), dividend yield (DY) and earnings per share significantly affect the shareholders’ wealth in SC firms. For NC firms, the dividend payout, DPS and DY are critical. Moreover, the F-test results show that the DPS, DY and leverage effect on the shareholders’ wealth significantly differ for both firm types.

This study fills the research gap in the Pakistani context specifically as well as globally by providing important insights into the relationship between a firm’s dividend policy and shareholders’ wealth for SC and NC firms. In addition, this study comprehensively compares the results for both firm types, which is also lacking in the existing literature. Because this study is based in Pakistan, the generalizability of the results would be limited.

The findings of this study are helpful for the management of SC and NC firms in devising their dividend policies that can maximize their shareholders’ wealth. This study also provides guidance and knowledge to investors in choosing companies for their investments that can maximize their wealth.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that analyzes the relationship between dividend policy and shareholders’ wealth for SC firms in Pakistan. It is also the first study that comprehensively compares the dividend policy relationship with shareholders’ wealth for SC and NC firms. In addition, using the F-test for joint hypotheses to compare the specific effect of each dividend policy variable is a methodological contribution of the study.

This study aims to explore the relationship between foreignness and CEO pay.

This study combines cross-sectional and time series observations analyzed with panel data methodology in a sample of 59 firms listed in the Spanish IBEX-35 index between 2006 and 2020.

International ownership influences CEO underpayment and foreign sales influence CEO overpayment.

CEO pay is susceptible to being influenced by foreign non-American variables. An appropriate understanding of these factors can contribute to discussing policies that balance the level of CEO payment in large public firms.

Research on internationalization and CEO pay is scarce. A handful of studies confirm the link between Americanization and executive compensation in Europe. However, the authors still do not know if the level of CEO pay is influenced by non-American exposure. To do this, the authors test the effect of firm – ownership, sales, board – and individual – CEO – exposure to international, non-US environments on the level of over/underpayment of CEOs in a sample of Spanish firms.

Explorar la relación entre la extranjería y la remuneración de los CEO.

Combinamos observaciones transversales y de series temporales analizadas con metodología de datos de panel en una muestra de 59 empresas del índice IBEX-35 español entre 2006 y 2020.

La propiedad internacional influye en la remuneración insuficiente de los CEO y las ventas en el extranjero influyen en la remuneración excesiva de los CEO.

La investigación sobre la internacionalización y la remuneración de los CEO es escasa. Un puñado de estudios confirman el vínculo entre la americanización y la remuneración de los ejecutivos en Europa. Sin embargo, todavía no sabemos si el nivel de remuneración de los CEO está influenciado por la exposición no estadounidense. Para ello, probamos el efecto de la exposición de la empresa (propiedad, ventas, consejo) y del individuo (CEO) a entornos internacionales, no estadounidenses, sobre el nivel de sobre/insuficiente remuneración de los CEO en una muestra de empresas españolas.

La remuneración de los CEO es susceptible de verse influenciada por variables extranjeras no estadounidenses. Una comprensión adecuada de estos factores puede contribuir a discutir políticas que equilibren el nivel de remuneración de los CEO en las grandes empresas públicas.

Explorar a relação entre estrangeirismo e remuneração de CEO.

Combinamos observações transversais e de séries temporais analisadas com metodologia de dados em painel em uma amostra de 59 empresas listadas no índice espanhol IBEX-35 entre 2006 e 2020.

A propriedade internacional influencia o sub pagamento de CEO e as vendas no exterior influenciam o super pagamento de CEO.

Pesquisas sobre internacionalização e remuneração de CEO são escassas. Alguns estudos confirmam a ligação entre americanização e remuneração de executivos na Europa. No entanto, ainda não sabemos se o nível de remuneração de CEO é influenciado pela exposição não americana. Para fazer isso, testamos o efeito da exposição da empresa - propriedade, vendas, conselho - e individual - CEO - a ambientes internacionais, não americanos, no nível de super/sub pagamento de CEOs em uma amostra de empresas espanholas.

A remuneração de CEO é suscetível a ser influenciada por variáveis estrangeiras não americanas. Uma compreensão adequada desses fatores pode contribuir para discutir políticas que equilibram o nível de remuneração de CEO em grandes empresas públicas.