The value relevance of investment property fair value

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Finance from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

This paper examines if the use of the fair value model is value relevant in companies where the investment properties are not their core business. An analysis is also made into whether the disclosed fair value of investment property is perceived by investors. The sample includes Portuguese listed companies subject to the mandatory adoption of IAS/IFRS since 2005. The results achieved indicate that investors price shares differently when companies choose either the cost model or the fair value model. However, results do not show evidence that investors significantly valuate differences between the historical cost and disclosed fair value in the notes for companies adopting the cost model.