Changes in risk of foreign firms listed in the U.S. following Sarbanes-Oxley

This study investigates the changes in the riskiness of foreign firms listed in the U.S. following the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), legislation aimed at calming investor fears. While capital market measures of risk increase on average over a shorter-term period, total and unsystematic risk measures decrease on average over a longer-term period. Finding longer-term decreases in these risk measures is consistent with reductions in investor uncertainty. Further cross-sectional analyses show that foreign firms considered to be less uncertain at the time of SOX passage received the greatest risk reductions in the post-SOX period. Thus, it appears that the less uncertain foreign firms especially benefited from the heightened awareness and investor focus that occurred in conjunction with the passage of SOX.