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Media Attention to Environmental Issues and ESG Investing

Author

Listed:
  • Balazs J. Csillag

    (John von Neumann University)

  • Marcell P. Granat

    (Magyar Nemzeti Bank)

  • Gabor Neszveda

    (Magyar Nemzeti Bank)

Abstract

We analyse how ESG scores affect future returns when environmental issues receive higher media coverage. Investors might take environmental aspects into account if they are confronted with the issue of global warming more frequently in the press. We assess the prevalence of environmental issues in the media with a machine learning-based Structural Topic Modelling (STM) methodology, using a news archive published in the USA. Running Fama-MacBeth regressions, we find that in periods when the media actively report on environmental issues, ESG scores have a significant negative impact on future returns, whereas, in months when fewer such articles are published, investors do not take sustainability measures into account, and ESG scores have no explanatory power.

Suggested Citation

  • Balazs J. Csillag & Marcell P. Granat & Gabor Neszveda, 2022. "Media Attention to Environmental Issues and ESG Investing," Financial and Economic Review, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary), vol. 21(4), pages 129-149.
    • Handle: RePEc:mnb:finrev:v:21:y:2022:i:4:p:129-149
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    File URL: https://en-hitelintezetiszemle.mnb.hu/letoltes/fer-21-4-st5-csillag-granat-neszveda.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Naffa, Helena & Fain, Máté, 2022. "A factor approach to the performance of ESG leaders and laggards," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    2. Carhart, Mark M, 1997. "On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(1), pages 57-82, March.
    3. Stefano Dellavigna & Joshua M. Pollet, 2009. "Investor Inattention and Friday Earnings Announcements," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(2), pages 709-749, April.
    4. Jie Cao & Sheridan Titman & Xintong Zhan & Weiming Zhang, 2020. "ESG Preference, Institutional Trading, and Stock Return Patterns," NBER Working Papers 28156, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Elizabeth Demers & Jurian Hendrikse & Philip Joos & Baruch Lev, 2021. "ESG did not immunize stocks during the COVID‐19 crisis, but investments in intangible assets did," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3-4), pages 433-462, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Botond Benedek & Balint Zsolt Nagy, 2023. "Traditional versus AI-Based Fraud Detection: Cost Efficiency in the Field of Automobile Insurance," Financial and Economic Review, Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary), vol. 22(2), pages 77-98.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ESG; environmental issues; investors' attention; Structural Topic Model; Fama-MacBeth regression;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C55 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Large Data Sets: Modeling and Analysis
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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