The role of audit quality and the quality of accounting information in changing the information asymmetry pricing

Investors seek private information in order to cover the risks of lack of transparency of information. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of audit quality in adjusting the distribution of information and limiting the availability of latent information.

The subject of the study was based on the regression model of the combined data. During the period of 2009 to 2018, the data of the companies accepted in the Tehran Stock Exchange were collected and used to test the research hypotheses.

The results of the research indicate confirmation of the first and fourth hypotheses of the research. In other words, the research results indicate that the quality of accounting information leads to a change in the pricing of information asymmetry, but audit quality does not change the price of information asymmetry. The third hypothesis of the research also suggests the ineffectiveness of audit quality on the fluctuation of the returns from private information. Also, the results of the fourth hypothesis indicate that, when changing the level of information quality of accounting information, the fluctuation in the return on private information is also changed so that with the change in the quality of accruals, the return on the investor also fluctuates and changes.

According to the results of the research, it can be stated that even in the presence of high information asymmetry, information quality can be an effective measure to reduce the costs of information asymmetry. In other words, increasing the quality of information leads to more optimal pricing and lower cost of capital.

Changes in the value of information asymmetry lead to a recognition of the risks and opportunities associated with changes in the behavioral factors of the investors and the opportunity to improve performance, reduce risk or delay the negative outcomes of investment (due to weaknesses in the information quality).