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The influence of media slant on short sellers

Author

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  • Knill, April
  • Liu, Baixiao
  • McConnell, John J.
  • McKenzie, Glades

Abstract

Using the positive shift in tone of Fox News coverage of macroeconomic news after the Republican Bush election in 2000, we investigate whether media slant influences the investment decisions of short sellers. We find that firms headquartered in Republican-leaning townships with Fox News availability experienced a relative decrease in short interest post the 2000 election. We further find that the relative decrease is more pronounced for firms that are more subject to investors' home bias. We interpret our findings to mean that short sellers, as sophisticated as they may be, are not immune to the slant in media coverage.

Suggested Citation

  • Knill, April & Liu, Baixiao & McConnell, John J. & McKenzie, Glades, 2024. "The influence of media slant on short sellers," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:84:y:2024:i:c:s0929119924000038
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2024.102541
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Media slant; Short seller; Investment decisions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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