Keywords

sovereign wealthfunds, transparency, cross-border investment, firm value

Abstract

This paper examines investment strategies of sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), their effect on target firm valuation, and how both of these are related to SWF transparency. We find that SWFs prefer large and poorly performing firms facing financial difficulties. Their investments have a positive effect on target firms’ stock prices around the announcement date but no substantial effect on firm performance and governance in the long run. We also find that transparent SWFs are more likely to invest in financially constrained firms and have a greater impact on target firm value than opaque SWFs. Overall, SWFs are similar to passive institutional investors in their preference for target characteristics and in their effect on target performance, and SWF transparency influences SWFs’ investment activities and their impact on target firm value.

Original Publication Citation

Friends or Foes? Target Selection Decisions of Sovereign Wealth Funds and Their Consequences (with Ugur Lel), 2011, Journal of Financial Economics 101, 360–381.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2011

Publisher

Journal of Financial Economics

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Finance

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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