Mergers and acquisitions: does performance depend on managerial ability?

Companies in difficult financial situations may seek to survive through mergers and acquisitions. Managers must be able to use company resources efficiently to maintain and improve competitiveness and sustainable advantages. Managers' ability to make strategic decisions may determine whether a merger and acquisition is successful. This study aims to reveal the role of the acquirer's managerial ability in mergers and acquisitions based on short- and long-term performance as well as the type of M&A. Two metrics are used to assess short- and long-term performance: the market-to-book ratio (MTBR) as an indicator of operating performance and the buy-and-hold abnormal return (BHAR) as an indicator of stock return performance. The research sample consists of 153 M&A cases conducted by companies registered with the Business Competition Supervisory Commission in Indonesia between 2010 and 2017, and the performance till 2020. We used regression and difference analysis to analyze the data. We find that managerial ability has a positive impact on MTBR operating and BHAR stock performance. This result confirms that the higher ability of the acquirer's manager will ensure a successful M&A in the long run. Investors and potential investors might consider managerial ability in choosing investments in companies after an M&A. This study contributes to the M&A literature by examining the role of MA in the short- and long-term performance of acquiring firms following M&As in Indonesia.

Information transmission in regional energy stock markets.

Since markets are undergoing severe turbulent economic periods, this study investigates the information transmission of energy stock markets of five regions including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Pacific where we differentiated the regional energy markets based on their developing and developed state of economy. We employed time-frequency domain from Jan 1995 to May 2021 and found that energy stocks of developed regions are highly connected. The energy markets of North America, South America, and Europe are the net transmitters of spillovers, whereas the Asian and Pacific energy markets are the net receivers of spillovers. The results also reveal that the connectedness of regional energy markets is time and frequency dependent. Regional energy stocks were highly connected following the Asian financial crisis (AFC), global financial crisis (GFC), European debt crisis (EDC), shale oil revolution (SOR), and COVID-19 pandemic. Time-dependent results reveal that high spillovers formed during stress periods and frequency domain show the higher connectedness of regional energy stock markets in the short run followed by an extreme economic condition. These results have significant implications for policymakers, regulators, investors, and regional controlling bodies to adopt effective strategies during short run to avoid economic downturns and information distortions.