How fair-value accounting can influence firm hedging
Original version
Beisland, L. A., & Frestad, D. (2013). How fair-value accounting can influence firm hedging. Review of Derivatives Research, 16(2), 193-217. doi: 10.1007/s11147-012-9084-y 10.1007/s11147-012-9084-yAbstract
The potential influence of accounting regulations on hedging strategies and the use of financial derivatives is a research topic that has attracted little attention in both the finance and the accounting literature. However, recent surveys suggest that company hedging can be substantially influenced by the accounting for financial instruments. In this study, we illustrate not only why but also how the accounting regulations may affect hedging behavior. We find that under mark-to-market accounting, most firms concerned with earnings smoothness adopt myopic hedging strategies relative to the benchmark, cash flow hedging. The specific influence of the accounting regulations depends on market and firm-specific characteristics, but, in general, the firms dramatically reduce the extent of hedging addressing price risk in future accounting periods. We illustrate that the change in hedging behavior significantly dampens the increase in earnings volatility stemming from fair value accounting of derivatives. However, the adjusted hedging strategies may substantially increase the firms’ cash flow volatility.
Description
Published version of an article in the journal: Review of Derivatives Research. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11147-012-9084-y