Download or read book Reverse Merger Waves, Market Timing and Managerial Behaviour written by Igor Semenenko and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper examines timing of reverse mergers (takeovers) and behaviour of managers of firms that go public in reverse mergers. Results suggest that small private firms go public through mergers with financially distressed firms when market conditions are unfavourable, whereas reverse takeovers in which participating public company is a going concern are procyclical. Managers of private firms that go public through a reverse takeover mechanism - both small and large - sell overvalued equity upon merger completion. Raising capital through equity issuance and use of equity to redeem debt is critical for survival of small firms. These findings imply that managers of firms that go public through reverse mergers behave strategically: they time the market when they merge with publicly traded counterparts and sell overvalued capital to investors.