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Margin purchases, short sales and stock return volatility in China: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak

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  • Lin, Yongjia
  • Wang, Yizhi
  • Fu, Xiaoqing (Maggie)

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the effects of margin purchases and short sales on the return volatility in the Chinese stock market during the COVID-19 outbreak. We present two main findings. First, we show that stocks with higher level of margin-trading activity exhibit higher return volatility. The COVID-19 outbreak amplifies the destabilizing effects of margin-trading activity. Second, no evidence shows that short selling destabilizes the stock market in general. However, we observe that intensified short-selling activity is associated with lower return volatility when infection risk is high during the COVID-19 crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin, Yongjia & Wang, Yizhi & Fu, Xiaoqing (Maggie), 2022. "Margin purchases, short sales and stock return volatility in China: Evidence from the COVID-19 outbreak," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:46:y:2022:i:pa:s1544612321003561
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2021.102351
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    Cited by:

    1. Kwaku Boafo Baidoo, 2022. "Time-Varying Effect of Short Selling on Market Volatility During Crisis: Evidence from COVID-19 and War in Ukraine," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 8(2), pages 233-243.
    2. Yamani, Ehab, 2023. "Return–volume nexus in financial markets: A survey of research," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Sha, Yezhou & Shah, Syed Ghulam Meran & Sarfraz, Muddassar, 2023. "Short selling and SME irregular CEO succession: Witnessing the moderating role of earnings management," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 163-173.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19 outbreak; Volatility innovation; Margin purchases; Short sales; Chinese stock market;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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