Do Underwriters Short-Change Corporations Issuing Bonds?
Forthcoming, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis
50 Pages Posted: 4 Apr 2022 Last revised: 3 Jul 2022
Date Written: January 25, 2022
Abstract
We confirm prior evidence that bonds on average are offered at prices below their immediate post-offer secondary market prices. However, in cases where banks lead-manage their own bond offerings the underpricing is significantly less as compared to other non-self-marketed offerings. These findings are robust across various matched samples and selection models. Our results suggest that the bond offering process is characterized by substantive agency conflicts between shareholders of corporations (issuers) and underwriters.
Keywords: Corporate Bond, Bond Offerings, Underpricing, Agency Problem
JEL Classification: G14,G24,G32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation