Investors' reactions to COVID-19 related announcements: evidence from the cargo shipping industry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mutaju Isaack Marobhe

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic on stock returns of listed cargo shipping companies.Design/methodology/approachThe author employs the events study methodology to examine this phenomenon. A sample of 49 listed cargo shipping companies in the container, dry bulk and tanker sub-sectors from Asia, North America, and Europe was selected and their daily closing stock prices from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020 were utilized.FindingsThe results reveal that there was an overall negative overreaction to the announcement by World Health Organization (WHO) that declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The approvals of USD 857 billion stimulus package by the European Union (EU) and Pfizer vaccine by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in USA received slight positive reactions. The Greek, Singaporean and Taiwanese shipping stocks were the least affected stocks as their respective shipping industries remained resilient during 2020.Research limitations/implicationsThis study provides evidence to confirm the fact that COVID-19 has affected stock markets; however the impact is un parallel among cargo shipping stocks of different countries.Originality/valueThe majority of studies have conducted country level analyses of the COVID-19 and stock market performance phenomenon. However, there have been sectoral disparities in terms of their susceptibility to economic shocks from COVID-19. This study's focal point is on the cargo shipping sector which synonymous with other sectors has not been immune to the current pandemic. The study also extends the timeline of events to incorporate those from June to December 2020.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Su-Jane Hsieh ◽  
Yuli Su

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether financial analyst coverage affects the dissemination of disclosed operating lease information into cash flow predictions and stock prices.Design/methodology/approachThe difference in lease expense between capital/finance lease and operating lease reporting is estimated based on the approach in Hsieh and Su (2015). This difference is referred to as the earnings impact from operating lease capitalization and is only available from footnotes. The authors then include the level of financial analyst following in a cash flow model to study its impact on the cash flow predictive value of the earnings impact. Similarly, the level of financial analyst following is inserted in an earnings-return model to assess the effect of analyst coverage on the association between contemporaneous stock returns and earnings impact.FindingsThe authors find that the cash flow predictive value of the earnings impact shifts to the interaction between analyst coverage and the earnings impact, suggesting that the decision-usefulness of the earnings impact is conditioned on the level of analyst following. Nevertheless, the authors find that the earnings impact continues to have explanatory value for the contemporaneous stock returns, while the interaction between analyst coverage and the earnings impact does not. This finding suggests that the earnings impact is already fully reflected in stock prices regardless of analyst following.Research limitations/implicationsSince the estimation of the earnings impact from reporting operating leases as capital leases is based on the method developed by Imhoff et al. (1991), the results and inferences are thus constrained by the validity of the method.Practical implicationsThe authors find that financial analyst activities accelerate the incorporation of the earnings impact from operating lease capitalization in cash flow predictions, but it does not promote the impounding of the earnings impact into stock prices. This finding suggests that financial analysts' influence on the dissemination of the earnings impact hinges on the type of economic activity, and failing to consider the financial analyst following in studying the cash flow predictive value of the earnings impact would obscure the findings.Originality/valueThe authors extend the findings of prior research that financial analysts' activities promote the incorporation of firm-specific information into stock prices by investigating the impact of financial analysts on the dissemination of disclosed operating lease information.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1046-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Christopher Hughen ◽  
Scott Beyer

Purpose – In the increasingly globalized economy, foreign exchange fluctuations have multiple, conflicting effects on domestic stock prices. The purpose of this paper is to examine return data to determine the relation between the dollar’s value and stock prices as it relates to monetary policy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examine US stock returns over a 40-year period, which is classified according to monetary policy and dollar trend. To better understand the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations, the authors estimate a model of stock returns using the three Fama-French factors and a momentum factor. Then the authors explore the underlying economic fundamentals that drive the sharp difference in annual returns between periods when the dollar is in an uptrend trend with loose monetary policy and periods when the dollar is in a downtrend with tight monetary policy. Findings – Over the last 40 years, US stock returns were 2.5 times higher when the dollar was trending up vs down. The factor model of returns shows that equity returns are positively associated with periods when the dollar appreciated. Returns were particularly high when the dollar was in an uptrend during accommodative monetary policy. During these periods, stocks in the consumer goods and services industries provided relatively high returns. This occurred with strong economic growth due to consumer spending. Stocks exhibited the lowest returns when the dollar was depreciating and the Federal Reserve was tightening. Originality/value – The key contribution of the research is that currency trends should be analyzed in the light of monetary policy. During periods of accommodative monetary policy and dollar appreciation, the US stock market provided average returns of 18.7 percent compared to −3.29 percent during a period of restrictive monetary policy and dollar depreciation. This result is driven by stronger economic growth, which is composed of consumer spending that more than offsets the dollar’s impact on net exports.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish Bansal ◽  
Asgar Ali ◽  
Bhawna Choudhary

PurposeThe study aims at investigating the impact of real earnings management (REM) on the cross-sectional stock return after considering the moderating role of market effect, size effect, value effect and momentum effect.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses weekly and monthly data of 3,085 Bombay Stock Exchange listed stocks spanning over twenty years, from January 2000 to December 2019. REM is measured through metrics developed by Roychowdhury (2006), namely, abnormal levels of operating cash flows, production costs and discretionary expenditure. The study employs univariate and bivariate portfolio-level analysis.FindingsThe findings deduced from the empirical results demonstrate that investors perceive downward REM as an element of risk; hence, they discount the stock prices at a higher rate. On the contrary, results show that investors positively perceive upward REM; hence, they hold the stocks even at a lower rate of return. This anomaly is found to be robust for all kinds of considered moderations.Practical implicationsThe findings have important managerial implications as investors are found to assign different weights to different forms of REM, depending upon the perception regarding the magnitude of risk involved in different forms. Managers can accommodate this information during their short- and long-term corporate planning.Originality/valueFirst, the study is among the earlier attempts to examine the association between REM and stock returns by considering the moderating role of cross-sectional effects. Second, the study considers the direction and endogenous nature of REM while investigating the issue.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dao Le Trang Anh ◽  
Christopher Gan

PurposeThis study explores the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and its following lockdown on daily stock returns in Vietnam, a fast-growing emerging market that successfully revived after the pandemic lockdown.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses panel-data regression models to evaluate the influence of the daily increase in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases during pre-lockdown and lockdown on daily stock returns of 723 listed firms in Vietnam from 30 January to 30 May 2020.FindingsThe study confirms the adverse impact of the daily increasing number of COVID-19 cases on stock returns in Vietnam. The study also discloses that the Vietnam stock market before and during the nationwide lockdown performed in opposing ways. Though COVID-19 pre-lockdown had a significant, negative impact on Vietnam's stock returns, the lockdown period had a significant, positive influence on stock performance of the entire market and the different business sectors in Vietnam. The financial sector was hardest hit on the Vietnam stock market during the COVID-19 outbreak.Research limitations/implicationsThe study indicates investors' confidence and trust in the Vietnam government's decisions to combat COVID-19 and favorable stocks prices were the main reasons that the Vietnam stock market rebounded during and after lockdown.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the impact of COVID-19 during the pre-lockdown and lockdown periods on stock performance in Vietnam, a rapidly developing economy that was successful in controlling the pandemic with a rejuvenated stock market after lockdown.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1563-1583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Rubino ◽  
Filippo Vitolla ◽  
Nicola Raimo ◽  
Isabel-Maria Garcia-Sanchez

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between national culture and the country level of firms' digitalisation, by applying Hofstede's cultural framework to the European Union member states. Although many studies have observed the impact of national culture on firms' innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) adoption, there have been no analyses of how cultural dimensions impact firms' digitalisation at the country level. This study intends to fill that gap.Design/methodology/approachUsing a pooled ordinary least square (OLS) model, this study analyses data from 27 European countries over the period from 2014 to 2018.FindingsThe results suggest the existence of a negative, significant, relationship between both masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, and the country level of firms' digitalisation. Indulgence is found to positively and significantly influence a country's level of digitalisation. Contrary to expectations, this study indicates a negative, significant, relationship between individualism and the degree of digitalisation. Power distance is found to have no significant impact.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by showing how a country's various cultural dimensions help or hinder the level of firms' digitalisation in that country. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented, including suggestions for future research.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawid Szutowski

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of eco-innovation type and its degree of novelty in increasing the stock returns of technology-based knowledge-intensive business service companies (T-KIBS), to advance the development of the concept of eco-innovation within the literature on the effects of innovation. Design/methodology/approach The effects of four eco-innovation types were examined across three degrees of novelty involved. The event study methodology was applied to the sample of 238 eco-innovation announcements released during the period of January 2016–June 2019 (inclusive) by European T-KIBS. Findings While the implementation of product and organisational eco-innovation was the most beneficial, the results indicated that a high degree of novelty resulted in larger increase of stock returns in the case of all the four eco-innovation types. Research limitations/implications The eco-innovation announcements were gathered from specialised databases. However, it could be the case that companies may have used different communication channels (e.g. social media) to communicate innovation. Furthermore, a certain amount of bias undoubtedly exists, as the data came only from the European Union. Expanding the spatial scope to include the North American (especially the USA) and Asian economies appears necessary. Practical implications The practical insights into the role that the degree of novelty plays in eco-innovation announcements were formulated, which may be used to increase the market valuation of the firm. Social implications Strategies supporting eco-innovation are crucial for business development as the value created for the stakeholders involved transmits in time into the enterprise value. Originality/value The paper attempts to fill the research gap concerning the impact of eco-innovation on the stock returns of T-KIBS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kouki

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the value relevance of accounting information between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)-firms and non-IFRS-firms over five years before mandatory IFRS adoption from 2000 to 2004 and six years after IFRS adoption from 2006 to 2011. Design/methodology/approach The sample includes 1166 firm-year observations that cover firms from three Europeans countries. Different econometric tests, multivariate and panel regressions have been used to verify the hypotheses. Findings In the pre-IFRS period, voluntary IFRS adoption did not improve the value relevance of accounting information. The results indicate that the information contents of non-IFRS-firms in the post-adoption period have higher quality than in the pre-adoption period. The findings show a higher association between accounting information, stock prices and stock returns over both periods, however, the difference in results is not statistically significant. Research limitations/implications This study was not generalized to other stock exchanges that have a significant weight in the European Union, such as the FTSE 100 companies or the SP/MIB. Practical implications This study has some implications for standards setters, firms and practitioners. The transition to IFRS reduces the diversity of accounting systems and institutional conditions (capital market structure, Taxation systems). In addition, mandatory IFRS adoption engendered changes in firms’ business and organizational models that led accountants to improve their educational and training programs. Originality/value This paper contributes to the value relevance as well as IFRS literature by using a sample from code-law origin countries that switched from a debt-oriented system to shareholder-oriented system. It offers a comparative approach between IFRS-firms and Non-IFRS-firms in the pre- and post-adoption periods. In contrast, prior studies focused on the comparison during only one period. This empirical evidence should be of interest to investors and policymakers in other markets.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahap Uysal ◽  
Seth Hoelscher

Purpose Local investors have the ability to impact the stock prices and returns of local firms. However, the impact of news made by a firm on local investors and neighboring companies is absent from the academic literature. The purpose of this paper is to fill that void and examine how a local investor clientele affects the stock market reactions of firms located within the same geographic proximity as a news-generating firm. Design/methodology/approach After accounting for firm, industry, and geographic characteristics, this study examines how a firm’s dividend initiation announcement (positive news) influences stock prices of seemingly unrelated firms within the same metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Findings Dividend-paying firms located in areas with a higher percentage of dividend clientele experience a positive comovement reaction when a seemingly unrelated firm within the same MSA announces a dividend initiation. The positive reactions are specifically for dividend-paying firms, while non-dividend payers exhibit no significant response. These results are robust to numerous regression methods and alternative explanations. Practical implications These findings are consistent with the positive-investor-attention hypothesis, suggesting positive spillover effects from news announcements for other local firms in the presence of individual investor clientele. Originality/value This is the first study to link how news generated by one firm can influence other geographically local firms, providing evidence on the impact of individual investor clientele on stock returns of local non-news firms.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Roškot ◽  
Isaac Wanasika ◽  
Zuzana Kreckova Kroupova

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ransomware cyber-attacks “WannaCry” and “Petya” on stock prices of publicly traded companies in the European Union. The study analyses a set of case studies related to largest recent cybercrime events, which happened in the first half of 2017. The study answers two questions, what is the impact of cybercrime to public companies? How do cybercrime announcements and publications affect stock prices? Design/methodology/approach Using archival financial data, an event study methodology was used to assess the impact of cybercrime activity on market value of European companies affected during WannaCry and Petya ransomware attacks in 2017. Findings The results suggest that announcements of information breaches because of ransomware exploits have impact on stock market returns. There is evidence of positive investors` reactions to the announcements. Specifically, there was little impact of “Wannacry” ransomware attack on market returns. Although stock market reactions differ by the sector, the market was positively affected in general. Our analysis of the impact of the more aggressive “Petya attack,” aimed at destroying affected data found evidence that such information security breach leads to increased market returns. There were significant abnormal returns starting from the third day of the announcement. These findings contradict previous results and the literature related to the impact of cyber-attacks. Originality/value Contrary to previous findings, the results suggest that ransomware attacks lead to positive market returns. However, cybercrime and other types of cyber-attacks pose serious threats whose implications deserve further investigation. Different attacks may have different consequences and could be potentially damaging to a firm’s reputation. Thus, it is necessary for companies to avoid becoming victim of cybercrime. Information systems should be continuously monitored for vulnerabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikiforos T. Laopodis

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of global macro and other risk factors of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)- and National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation (NASDAQ)-listed shipping companies’ stock returns from January 2001 to December 2019. Design/methodology/approach The methodological design includes multi-factor regressions for individual companies, augmented versions of these regressions to examine the likely impact of additional factors and finally panel regressions to assess the impact risk factors on all companies simultaneously. Estimations are done via ordinary least squares and the generalized method of moments. Findings Multi-factor model results showed that some of the US-specific and global macro risk factors surfaced as statistically significant for most of the companies and appeared to exhibit a consistent pattern in the way they affected shipping stocks. Thus, these companies’ exposures emanate mostly from the general US market’s movements and to a lesser extent from other firm-specific factors. Second, from the results of panel specifications, this study observes that domestic risk factors such as unemployment, inflation rates and industrial production growth emerged as significant for the NYSE-listed companies. As regard, the NASDAQ-listed ones, it was found that Libor and the G20 inflation rate were also affecting their stock returns. Research limitations/implications Companies examined are listed only in the US’s NYSE and NASDAQ. Hence, companies listed elsewhere were excluded. It may be concluded that these US exchange-listed companies abide mostly by domestic fundamentals and to some extent to selected global factors. Practical implications The significance of the findings in this study pertains to global investors and shipping companies’ managers alike. Specifically, given the differential sensitivities of the shipping companies to various risk factors (and the global business cycle, in general), it is possible to view the shipping companies’ stocks as a separate, alternate asset class in a global, well-diversified portfolio. Thus, such a broader portfolio would permit investors to earn positive returns and reduce overall risk. Managers of shipping companies would also benefit from the findings in this study in the sense that they should better understand the varying exposures of their companies to changing global and domestic macro conditions and successfully navigate their companies through business cycles. Originality/value Research on the global shipping industry has lagged behind and was mainly concentrated on the investigation of the sources of shipping finance and capital structure of shipping companies, investment and valuation, corporate governance and risk measurement and management. Empirical research on the potential micro and macro determinants of the stock returns of shipping companies, however, is scant. This paper fills the gap in the literature of identifying and evaluating the various macroeconomic, US and international risk, factors that affect shipping companies’ stock returns in a highly financially integrated world.


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