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December doldrums, investor distraction, and the stock market reaction to unscheduled news events

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  • Chava, Sudheer
  • Paradkar, Nikhil

Abstract

We examine how investor distraction during the December holiday season impacts the stock market’s reaction to salient firm-specific news. We find that both retail and institutional investor attention is significantly lower in December. Importantly, only unscheduled credit rating downgrades and 8-K filings experience lower investor attention in December; we find no equivalent effect for pre-scheduled earnings announcements. Consistently, we document significantly weaker market responses in December toward unscheduled firm news only. Firm prominence mitigates this December distraction effect. Our results highlight how investor distraction in December can lead to a muted market reaction to unscheduled, but salient, firm-specific news.

Suggested Citation

  • Chava, Sudheer & Paradkar, Nikhil, 2024. "December doldrums, investor distraction, and the stock market reaction to unscheduled news events," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finmar:v:71:y:2024:i:c:s1386418124000466
    DOI: 10.1016/j.finmar.2024.100928
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    Keywords

    Investor inattention; Market underreaction; Unscheduled events; Credit ratings; 8-K filings;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G02 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Behavioral Finance: Underlying Principles
    • 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
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage

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