Market reaction to director independence at Borsa Istanbul

Abstract

This study investigates the market reaction to appointments and departures of independent directors to boards and various board committees, as well as the magnitude of the market reaction based to the expertise and busyness of these directors. The findings suggest that investors in Turkish capital markets do not value the existence of independent directors on boards or committees of boards. In addition, the findings suggest that investors do not value the expertise of independent directors. However, investors appear to value the busyness of independent directors. The findings are robust to various model specifications.

Keywords

• Independence
• Corporate governance
• Borsa Istanbul
• Expertise
• Busyness