Research and Relevance, Episode 8: Testing the Locust Hypothesis, Part 1: The Impact of Global Investors on Long-Term Investment and Innovation

As the world economy has become increasingly globalized and complex, it's not obvious what effects foreign investors have on the companies whose stock they hold. Is it possible that these foreign investors provide pools of capital that firms can access in order to produce stronger companies, or do global institutional investors behave more like a swarm of locusts, resulting in short-term corporate policy making such as reduction in capital expenditures?  We discuss these questions and implications for corporate leaders with Pedro Matos, Darden finance professor and faculty director of the Mayo Center for Asset Management, and Jan Bena, professor at the University of British Colombia Sauder School of Business and a Batten Research Fellow. Matos and Bena are co-authors of the briefing,Testing "The Locust Hypothesis": The Impact of Global Investors on Long-Term Investment & Innovation. Hosted by Erika Herz from Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.