The relevance of GAAP vs. non-GAAP net assets to creditors: An examination of the credit default swap market
Department
School of Accountancy
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2022
Abstract
Recent empirical research examines the credit relevance of non-GAAP net assets in low and high default risk settings and finds that the credit relevance of non-GAAP net assets increases when default risk is high (Eberhart, Maxwell, & Siddique 2008; Plumlee Xie, Yan, & Yu 2015). Using the implication of debt contracting theory (Kothari, Ramanna, & Skinner 2010), we extend this research to compare and contrast the credit relevance of GAAP and non-GAAP net assets in low and high default risk settings. We evaluate the change in reliance creditors place on GAAP net assets relative to that placed on non-GAAP net assets. Using data from the credit default swap (CDS) market, we find that the reliance creditors place on GAAP net assets, relative to the reliance placed on non-GAAP net assets, increases with increases in the probability of default. These results contribute to the growing literature examining the relevance of information beyond that provided on the balance sheet.
Journal Title
Advances in Accounting
Journal ISSN
08826110
Volume
56
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1016/j.adiac.2021.100580