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Information advantage, short sales, and stock returns: Evidence from short selling reform in China

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  • Feng, Xunan
  • Chan, Kam C.

Abstract

We study short selling around earnings announcements and examine the potential sources of their information. Using unique daily aggregate short selling transactions in China, we find that short sellers significantly increase (decrease) their short positions before negative (positive) earnings surprise. In addition, abnormal high short selling is significantly associated with negative post-earnings announcement stock returns. The findings suggest that short sellers, on average, are informed and sophisticated traders and they can exploit profitable opportunities contained in earnings announcements. Finally, we find that stocks with poor governance or more insiders have higher (lower) abnormal short selling in negative (positive) earnings surprise, indicating private information leakage from firms with weak governance; which is consistent with the tipping argument. Our findings have important policy implications for capital market regulation in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Feng, Xunan & Chan, Kam C., 2016. "Information advantage, short sales, and stock returns: Evidence from short selling reform in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 131-142.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:59:y:2016:i:c:p:131-142
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2016.07.007
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    Cited by:

    1. Hodgson, Allan & Da Lim, Wei & Mi, Lin, 2018. "Insider sales vs. short selling: Negative information trading in Australia," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 72-83.
    2. Fiza Qureshi & Ali M. Kutan & Habib Hussain Khan & Saba Qureshi, 2019. "Equity fund flows, market returns, and market risk: evidence from China," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 48-71, March.
    3. Yangyang Chen & Jun Huang & Ting Li & Jeffrey Pittman, 2022. "It's a Small World: The Importance of Social Connections with Auditors to Mutual Fund Managers’ Portfolio Decisions," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 901-963, June.
    4. Xufeng Liu & Die Wan, 2022. "Does short‐selling affect mutual fund shareholdings? Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1887-1923, April.
    5. Dammak, Wael & Boutouria, Nahla & Ben Hamad, Salah & de Peretti, Christian, 2023. "Investor behavior in the currency option market during the COVID-19 pandemic," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    6. He, Jingbin & Ma, Xinru & Wei, Qu, 2022. "Firm-level short selling and the local COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    7. Hu, Ting & Chi, Yanzhe, 2019. "Can short selling activity predict the future returns of non-shortable peer firms?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 165-185.
    8. Fan, Yi & Gao, Yang, 2024. "Short selling, informational efficiency, and extreme stock price adjustment," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 1009-1028.
    9. Zghal, Imen & Ben Hamad, Salah & Eleuch, Hichem & Nobanee, Haitham, 2020. "The effect of market sentiment and information asymmetry on option pricing," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    10. Sandra Ferreruela & Daniel Martín, 2022. "Market Quality and Short-Selling Ban during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A High-Frequency Data Approach," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-29, July.
    11. Kwaku Boafo Baidoo, 2019. "The Effects of Short Selling on Financial Markets Volatilities," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 5(2), pages 218-228.
    12. Dammak, Wael & Hamad, Salah Ben & de Peretti, Christian & Eleuch, Hichem, 2023. "Pricing of European currency options considering the dynamic information costs," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    13. Liu, Chang & Sun, Peng & Zhu, Dongming, 2023. "Lottery preference, short-sale constraint, and the salience effect: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    short sales; information leakage; earnings announcement; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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