An empirical analysis of the bias and rationality of profit forecasts published in new issue prospectuses

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Journal of Business Finance and Accounting

Publication Date

4-1-2000

Volume

27

Issue

3/4

First Page

423

Last Page

446

Abstract

This article examines the accuracy of earnings forecasts made by companies in Hong Kong, China in their new issue prospectuses between 1992 and 1995. In order to obtain a better picture of the initial public offering (IPO) profit forecast accuracy, prediction errors are compared with the errors from using a random walk model and with the errors from using a growth model. The forecasts made in prospectuses are found to be superior to those made by time series models. Bias and rationality tests give conflicting outcomes as to the efficacy of IPO forecasts. While the results are consistent with forecasts being made rationally in the sense of researcher W. De Bondt and R. Thaler, and J. K. Capstaff et al., they also indicate a pessimistic bias where forecasts are invariably less than actual.

DOI

10.1111/1468-5957.00319

Print ISSN

0306686X

E-ISSN

14685957

Publisher Statement

Copyright © Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 2000

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Cheng, T. Y., & Firth, M. (2000). An empirical analysis of the bias and rationality of profit forecasts published in new issue prospectuses. Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 27(3/4), 423-446. doi: 10.1111/1468-5957.00319

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