Tag archives: Wall Street Journal

Non-standard accounting measures: The media, regulators, and shareholders zero in

By Linda Fuerst, Orestes Pasparakis, Walied Soliman and Heidi Reinhart on September 29, 2016 Posted in Securities

Non-standard accounting practices have been gaining in popularity among Canadian publicly traded companies. Issuers that rely solely on standard accounting metrics now make up a small minority of the companies listed in the S&P 500 and S&P/TSX 60. Many issuers believe that non-standard measures are a better reflection of performance than Generally Accepted Accounting Principles … Continue reading

Shareholder activism on the rise

By Trevor Zeyl on July 15, 2015 Posted in Shareholder Activism

According to recent studies, the rate of successful shareholder activism is on the rise. While historically high when compared to the relative ownership percentage of those campaigning, new data from North America and Europe demonstrates a climbing success rate for activist campaigns. Studies that measure shareholder activism often organize their success-rate analysis by either a … Continue reading

SEC Chair says SEC will propose new rules on universal proxies

By Jacob Cawker (Toronto) on July 6, 2015 Posted in Securities

In a recent speech focusing on proxy-related issues, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White has indicated that the SEC is working to propose new rules concerning universal proxies. She also encouraged companies to adopt them even before the SEC weighs in on this area. Currently in the United States, it is generally … Continue reading

Shareholder activism goes mainstream: investment giants increasingly focused on corporate governance

By Leo Wang on March 18, 2015 Posted in Shareholder Activism

The Wall Street Journal reports that Vanguard Group, the largest mutual fund firm in the U.S., and BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, are becoming more assertive in exercising their influence over companies in which they invest. This is a significant development, given Vanguard and Blackrock’s immense shareholdings in large American companies. BlackRock’s recently … Continue reading