The use of earnings and cash flows in investment decisions in the U.S.
and Mexico: Experimental evidence
In this study, we investigate which of two accounting performance measures, earnings or cash flows, is used more in valuation decisions
by non-professional investors in the United States and in Mexico. This issue is relevant for the Mexican Stock Market (Bolsa Mexicana de
Valores) because the Bolsa’s growth has stagnated compared with markets of other Latin American countries. Results of the study reveal
that the majority of participants in the U.S. rely on earnings while the majority of participants in Mexico rely on cash flows. Results also
suggest that the users’ predisposition can be dysfunctional to the extent that they do not consider using the other accounting measure,
even when doing so made it easier to arrive at the correct valuation result (i.e. they did not choose to use the more persistent and therefore
easier to forecast accounting measure). However, results are mixed for participants using earnings, since we document a higher chance
of forecasting errors for participants in both countries when using earnings rather than cash flows in their calculations for the failure of
these participants to adjust earnings for depreciation.
This study extends the existing international literature by documenting a country-specific predisposition to use cash flows or earnings
as a valuation tool by non-professional investors. Moreover, this study also shows that this predisposition can be dysfunctional, leading
participants to make incorrect valuation decisions as a result of their failure to consider the differential persistence of the two accounting
measures presented in the experiment.