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PurposeThe authors examine the impact of asymmetric information on firm's financing decisions, the feedback effect of changes in capital structure on the level of asymmetric information, and the speed of adjustments in capital structure on its target leverage.Design/methodology/approachThe authors extract the data on 280 non-financial firms listed in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) from the DataStream. The authors implement the generalized method of moments (GMM), complemented by the fixed effect model (FEM) to estimate the model coefficients.FindingsThe authors find that asymmetric information significantly affects the financing decisions; and that on average, firms adjust 26% of the total debt toward their target capital structure. The negative effect from the difference between the observed and target changes in leverage on asymmetric information confirms that capital structure changes act as a signal for future profitability and helps the management to lower its level of asymmetric information.Originality/valueThe findings offer fresh insight into the effect of asymmetric information on financing decisions, as well as the speed of adjustment of capital structure toward its target leverage, in the context of the firms working in emerging markets like Pakistan. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of asymmetric information on financing decisions that incorporate firm's age, size and the global financial crises 2007–2008. The authors construct an asymmetric information index using both accounting and finance measures of asymmetry.

Many academics and experts focus on portfolio optimization and risk budgeting as a topic of study. Streamlining a portfolio using machine learning methods and elements is examined, as well as a strategy for portfolio expansion that relies on the decay of a portfolio’s risk into risk factor commitments. There is a more vulnerable relationship between commonly used trademarked portfolios and neural organizations based on variables than famous dimensionality decrease strategies, as we have found. Machine learning methods also generate covariance and portfolio weight structures that are more difficult to assess. The least change portfolios outperform simpler benchmarks in minimizing risk. During periods of high instability, risk-adjusted returns are present, and these effects are amplified for investors with greater sensitivity to chance changes in returns R.

In the current era of globalization, cross-listing literature has been growing as a tool to achieve sustainable growth and provide policy implications for multinationals, international investors, and regulators. This research explores the three themes—influential aspects, intellectual structure, and conceptual structure—that underpin the growing cross-listing-based literature published in the Web of Sciences until July 2020. This study used bibliometric coupling to segregate the research front of cross-listing and then studied each theme’s conceptual structure and influential aspects separately. The analysis revealed that the cross-listing literature could be divided into three clusters: (1) price discrepancies and stock returns related to asymmetric information and market efficiencies, (2) earnings quality, earnings management, and the adoption of accounting standards, and (3) cross-listing benefits covering the growth, informativeness, and liquidity. For instance, our analysis identifies the impact of cross-listing on local market developments regarding trading volume and liquidity, secondly the benefits of financial market liberalization for cross-listing, particularly regarding the cost of capital, and thirdly the variation in abnormal returns after cross-listing with changing risk exposure, shareholding base, and amount of money raised. This research also proposes a future research agenda for the advancement of each cluster of cross-listing identified. The outcomes of this literature review will provide valuable information to practitioners and researchers and help them to further understand the broad perspective and prospects of cross-listing.