Convergence with International Financial Reporting Standard and Its Effect on Stock Return: Evidence from Malaysia

Convergence is the process of gradual adoption of a certain accounting standard issued by different regulatory bodies. The aim is to achieve uniformity and standardization across borders to open opportunities for international investment and collaboration. The implementation of IFRS, in theory, encourages more transactions by presenting financial statements in a simple and understandable manner for all investors and other businesses interested in the company. Using event study methodology, this study investigates whether Malaysian companies’ adoption of IFRS is recognized by the investment community. A total of 89 public listed companies in Bursa Malaysia are involved in this study. The results show that about 62.8 percent of the companies that adopted IFRS-based financial statements experienced an increase in their average abnormal return after the announcement. However, the paired sample test results show that only 5.6 percent out of 89 companies studied experience a significant difference in abnormal return before and after the announcement. The inexistence of the average abnormal return difference between before and after the announcement may indicate that IFRS-based financial statements do not have any new market informational content. This study found little evidence to show that convergence with IFRS affects the company’s stock price in Malaysia.