The Geography of Equity Listing: Why Do European Companies List Abroad?

59 Pages Posted: 24 Mar 2000

See all articles by Marco Pagano

Marco Pagano

CSEF - University of Naples Federico II - Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF); Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF); Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Ailsa Röell

Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs

Josef Zechner

Vienna University of Economics and Business

Date Written: October 1999

Abstract

This paper documents the aggregate trends in the foreign listings of companies and analyzes both their distinctive pre-listing characteristics and their post-listing performance relative to other companies. In the 1986-97 interval, many European companies listed abroad, but did so mainly on US exchanges. At the same time, the number of US companies listed in Europe decreased. The cross-listings of European companies appear to have sharply different motivations and consequences depending on whether they cross-list in the United States or within Europe. In the first case, companies pursue a strategy of rapid expansion fuelled by high leverage before the listing and large equity issues after the listing. They rely increasingly on export markets both before and after the listing, and tend to belong to high-tech industries. In the second case, companies do not grow more than the control group, and increase their leverage after the cross-listing. Also, they fail to increase their foreign sales in the wake of the cross-listing. The only common features of the two groups are their large size, high foreign sales before cross-listing and high R&D spending after cross-listing.

JEL Classification: G15, G30, G39

Suggested Citation

Pagano, Marco and Röell, Ailsa A. and Zechner, Josef, The Geography of Equity Listing: Why Do European Companies List Abroad? (October 1999). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=209313 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.209313

Marco Pagano (Contact Author)

CSEF - University of Naples Federico II - Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF) ( email )

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Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance (EIEF)

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Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

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Ailsa A. Röell

Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs ( email )

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United States
(212) 854-9289 (Phone)

Josef Zechner

Vienna University of Economics and Business ( email )

Welthandelsplatz 1
Vienna, Wien A-1019
Austria

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