Bragging Rights: Does Corporate Boasting Imply Value Creation?

Abstract We examine all S&P 500 firms over 1999-2014 that publicly characterize their annual performance with extreme positive language. We find that only 18% of such firms increase shareholder value, while nearly 75% have insignificant performance, and the remaining 7% actually destroy shareholder value. Our evidence suggests that firms often base their positive claims on…

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S&P500

Once again I am late to the party because apparently the world is ending…..again. The current cause for these conniptions among traders is that the US markets are going down, judging by the reactions of market participants to this earth shattering event one would think that this sort of thing was now illegal. As such…

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Synth Britannia

  Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage. In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Volatire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the…

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The Role of Luck in Life Success Is Far Greater Than We Realized

What does it take to succeed? What are the secrets of the most successful people? Judging by the popularity of magazines such as Success, Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur, there is no shortage of interest in these questions. There is a deep underlying assumption, however, that we can learn from them because it’s their personal characteristics–such as talent, skill, mental toughness,…

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