A research on the correlation between MD&A Disclosure and Financial Performance

In early 2012, Shanghai Stock Exchange of China promulgated No. 5 Memorandum on Annual Reports of Listed Companies for 2011 - Requirements on Preparation of Management Discussion and Analysis (the “Requirements”), further specifying the way of disclosing some contents, and further stressing the importance of disclosure of management discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) in light of standards. This proves that MD&A is receiving the growing attention of the regulator. This paper created quality assessment indicators for MD&A disclosure according to the Requirements, selected 220 manufacturing companies listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange as the research sample and developed a regression model. Through collection, sorting and analysis of sample data of 2010 and 2011, it was found that the quality of MD&A disclosure is positively correlated with the financial performance of the current period, and can be used to forecast future financial performance.