Abstract

The development of accounting, auditing and capital markets in China were an integral omponent of China’s economic reforms; auditing was regarded as being critically important to achieving the desired policy objective of delivering a market economy (Yang and Yang, 1998). This article examines the quasi-qualification hypothesis and tests whether investors valued the introduction of Special Treatment (ST) status for firms in 1998. Our empirical analysis fails to find significant support for the quasi-qualification hypothesis. In contrast, it appears that the issuance of ST status was valued by investors; the issuance of ST status led investors to discriminate between firms.