Does the accruals quality premium arise from information risk?

In this study, we examine whether the accruals quality premium arises from information risk through the following: (i) an investigation of the accruals quality (AQ) premium conditioned by market competition levels; (ii) a test of the impact of an exogenous shock on tax-loss-selling incentives; and (iii) an examination of the quality of specific accruals. Consistent with an information risk explanation, we find that the pricing effect of AQ is concentrated in firms with low market competition; that tax-loss selling is unlikely to explain the observed AQ premium; and that specific accruals quality measures which are more likely to reflect information risk are priced.