Effects of foreign exchange listing on the returns of South African companies

Sibiya, Xolani

Effects of foreign exchange listing on the returns of South African companies

Master Thesis

2005

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

College of Accounting

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

There are a number of companies that seek dual listing in foreign stock markets. The number of foreign companies that are listed in the United States alone are above 3000. Companies seek foreign exchange listing for a number of reasons including the access to foreign capital, visibility in the foreign markets and ability to effect foreign market acquisitions through use of stock listed in the foreign markets. There are also costs associated with listing in the foreign markets, including the costs of compliance (these would include stock exchange costs, accounting and auditing compliance costs) and the costs of management time. There are a lot of studies that have been conducted in this area of finance and they show varying results. The results vary from significantly positive returns in the period before and after the listing date, to significantly negative returns before and after the listing date. There are studies that found there to be no significantly positive or negative returns. There are some that found significantly positive returns in either the pre or post listing period with significantly opposite returns in the opposing period. During the years between 1997 and 2000, a number of South African companies followed a trend of listing in their shares in the foreign markets, especially taking their primary listings to the London Stock Exchange. This study examines the effects of a foreign exchange listing in the returns of the South African companies that are listed in the foreign markets.

Description

Includes bibliographical references.

Keywords

Accounting

Reference:

Collections

Masters

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