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Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 2026

A Shared Interest: Do Bonds Strengthen Equity Monitoring?

Todd A. Gormley1; Manish Jha2

1 Washington University in Saint Louis and National Bureau of Economic Research · 2 Georgia State University

open access

Abstract

Institutional investors conduct more governance research and are less likely to follow proxy advisor vote recommendations when a company’s bonds comprise a larger share of their assets. These findings are driven by bond holdings, shareholder proposals, and companies where fixed-income managers are more likely to be attentive and share an interest with equity investors in improving governance. The findings do not concentrate on companies or shareholder proposals where creditor–shareholder conflicts are likely. Overall, the findings suggest that corporate bond holdings influence how actively institutions monitor their equity positions and contribute to institutions’ overall incentive to be engaged stewards.

DOI
10.1017/s002210902610266x
Pages
1-32
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref

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