Warrington in the News Articles: page 29

A paper authored by Warrington Ph.D. student Minmo Gahng, Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter and alumnus Donghang Zhang of the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business was cited as part of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rule changes to special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).

Specifically, the SEC is proposing specialized disclosure requirements with respect to, among other things, compensation paid to sponsors, conflicts of interest, dilution, and the fairness of these business combination transactions.

Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter shares insights on the disappointing SPAC performance last quarter, but it may seem like the good old days as regulators crack down on new blank-check stocks and enthusiasm for existing ones wanes.

The influence of money and corporations in the federal government is a “growing problem,” said Aaron D. Hill, associate professor of management at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business. Nearly one in eight stock trades by members of Congress intersects with legislation, and research shows that members of the House and Senate generate “abnormally higher returns” on their investments. Still, Congress members are subject to less stringent (or, at times, unenforced) oversight on conflicts of interests than those in other branches of government.

The high retail vacancy rates are highlighted in a recent study by the Kelley A. Bergstrom Real Estate Center at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.

It identifies six of the most popular mixed-use student housing properties near the university.

Despite tenant rates that are at or near capacity, the report found that four of the buildings have a majority of its retail space vacant, two of which still have no tenants since opening.

Insights from Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter are included as part of this Bloomberg Law Opinion column on the SEC’s proposed changes to the rules around SPACs.

Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter was cited as part of SEC Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw’s statement on the proposed changes to SPACs. Specifically, the SEC is proposing new rules and amendments that would require, among other things, additional disclosures about SPAC sponsors, conflicts of interest and sources of dilution.

With gasoline prices trending over US$4 per gallon nationwide, politicians are feeling the heat. In response, Maryland and Georgia have temporarily waived their state gasoline taxes to reduce the burden on consumers. Other states are considering similar actions, and some members of Congress have called for suspending the federal gas tax. The Conversation asked four experts, including Public Utility Research Center Director of Energy Studies Ted Kury, whether gas tax waivers are an effective way to provide economic relief to U.S. households, and what other impacts these measures could have.

The success of the digital economy has given rise to some of the wealthiest companies the world has ever known. Over the last decade or more, concerns have arisen among some economists about whether existing antitrust laws are adequate to address the market power exercised by these “Big Tech” companies and their products and platforms that are used by billions of people globally.

Has the data-driven economy of “free” platforms, network effects and the unprecedented size of these tech firms changed the economic calculus behind the consumer-welfare framework that currently guides antitrust enforcement?

Public Utility Research Center Director and Gunter Professor Mark Jamison and a panel of other economists on both sides of the question share their insights.

The Diplomat speaks with Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter about Chinese coffee company Luckin and its second IPO attempt.

The rich valuations remind Cordell Eminent Scholar Jay Ritter of initial public offerings in the 1980s and 1990s, which were typically done by young companies with similarly optimistic business models.

“A lot of them turned out to be disappointments for investors, and so far that’s been true with a set of companies that have recently merged with SPACs,” said Ritter, a finance professor who specializes in public-listings data.