


How Companies Distract Investors When Disclosing Bad News
SEC regulations require public firms to disclose any “material event” on a form 8-K filed within a certain time period. These events include earnings announcements, changes in an executive or director, changes in auditor and the issuance of new debt or equity. The news can be good or bad, and firms often issue press releases explaining the event.
We examine whether firms forced to disclose bad news issue press releases touting unrelated news around the time of the filing to distract investors. We study a broad sample of thousands of 8-K filings that are accompanied by press releases and find … Read more