Dynamic Information Disclosure

Abstract

We explore the optimal timing of voluntary disclosures by firms. By delaying disclosure of a signal, firms encourage the acquisition of correlated signals by reducing informed investors’ exposure to the long-term risk of holding the asset. Immediate disclosure reduces rents from acquiring the correlated signal, and thus is sometimes suboptimal in a dynamic setting. We characterize conditions under which postponing disclosure is preferable, which allows us to develop predictions on the timing of voluntary information disclosures such as management guidance.

Keywords: disclosure, informational efficiency, noisy rational expectations

JEL Classification: G12, G14