Economic Consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

61 Pages Posted: 8 Feb 2007

See all articles by Ivy Zhang

Ivy Zhang

University of California, Riverside

Date Written: February 1, 2007

Abstract

This paper investigates the economic consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) by examining market reactions to related legislative events. Using concurrent stock returns of non-U.S.-traded foreign firms to estimate normal U.S. returns, I find that U.S. firms experienced a statistically significant negative cumulative abnormal return around key SOX events. I then examine the cross-sectional variation of U.S. firms' returns around these events. Regression results are consistent with the nonaudit services and governance provisions imposing net costs. Additional tests show that deferring the compliance of Section 404, which mandates an internal control test, resulted in significant cost savings for nonaccelerated filers.

Keywords: Securities legislation, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Corporate governance, Internal control, Nonaudit services

JEL Classification: G38, M41

Suggested Citation

Zhang, Ivy, Economic Consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (February 1, 2007). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=961964 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.961964

Ivy Zhang (Contact Author)

University of California, Riverside ( email )

900 University Ave
Riverside, CA 92521
United States

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