Affiliation:
1. Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
2. University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
Abstract
AbstractWe examine how CEOs' past experiences of corporate distress affect their subsequent forecast behaviour. We find that CEOs who experienced distress in a non‐CEO position at another firm issue more pessimistic management earnings forecasts after becoming CEO at their current firm. The effect of such experiences on CEOs' forecasting behaviour is more pronounced when these have occurred more frequently or recently. The effect of distress experiences is mitigated for overconfident and experienced CEOs, but amplified in firms with poor performance and high uncertainty. Our findings suggest that CEOs who experienced corporate distress could be overly cautious when forecasting future earnings.
Funder
Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand