Mandatory IFRS Adoption and Institutional Investment Decisions

We examine whether the mandatory introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards leads to an increase in institutional investor demand for equities. Using a large ownership database covering all types of institutional investors from around the world, we find that institutional holdings increase for mandatory IFRS adopters. Changes in holdings are concentrated around first-time annual reporting events. Second, we document that the positive IFRS effects on institutional holdings are concentrated among investors whose orientation and styles suggest they are most likely to benefit from higher quality financial statements, including active, value, and growth investors. These results are consistent with holdings changes being associated with the financial reporting regime change. Finally, we show that increased institutional holdings are concentrated in countries in which enforcement and reporting incentives are strongest, and where the differences between local GAAP and IFRS are relatively high. Overall, our study helps shed new light on the channels by which IFRS information becomes impounded in market outcomes.