Accounting Data, Market Values, and the Cross Section of Expected Returns World

Over the past 30 years, the central question in asset pricing is understanding what drives the variation in expected returns. Despite its importance, empirical research in this area has remained problematic because the key variable, expected returns, is not observable. This paper promotes an accounting-fundamentals-based approach to estimating expected returns. It contributes to the stream of empirical studies devoted to developing the estimation of, and understanding the behavior of, expected returns. It also provides a practical tool that can be used to analyze investment choices in international equity contexts.