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The short-selling skill of institutions and individuals

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  • Chague, Fernando
  • De-Losso, Rodrigo
  • Giovannetti, Bruno

Abstract

Using market-wide data from the Brazilian stock lending market at the deal level, we find strong evidence of short-selling skill for institutions and individuals. Skilled short-sellers present out-of-sample performance persistence. Exploring the granularity of our dataset, we find that skilled short-sellers do not display the disposition effect, are more likely to pick value, liquid, high-volatility, and losing stocks, and to initiate a short position before earnings announcements and around sell recommendations.

Suggested Citation

  • Chague, Fernando & De-Losso, Rodrigo & Giovannetti, Bruno, 2019. "The short-selling skill of institutions and individuals," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 77-91.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:101:y:2019:i:c:p:77-91
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2019.02.003
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    2. Cereda, Fábio & Chague, Fernando & De-Losso, Rodrigo & Genaro, Alan & Giovannetti, Bruno, 2022. "Price transparency in OTC equity lending markets: Evidence from a loan fee benchmark," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(1), pages 569-592.
    3. Guimaraes, Bernardo & Pannella, Pierluca, 2024. "Short-covering bubbles," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    4. Tsai, Chia-Fen & Chang, Jung-Hsien & Tsai, Feng-Tse, 2021. "Lottery preferences and retail short selling," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Haiyan Jiang & Ahsan Habib & Mostafa Monzur Hasan, 2022. "Short Selling: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Future Research," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 1-31, January.
    6. Xu Guo & Chunchi Wu, 2022. "Short Selling Activity and Effects on Financial Markets and Corporate Decisions," Springer Books, in: Cheng-Few Lee & Alice C. Lee (ed.), Encyclopedia of Finance, edition 0, chapter 98, pages 2313-2340, Springer.
    7. Daniel Sales Casula & Rodrigo De-Losso, 2019. "Short Selling, the supply side: are lenders price makers?," Working Papers, Department of Economics 2019_53, University of São Paulo (FEA-USP).
    8. Outlaw, Dominique, 2023. "Frenzied buyers and sophisticated sellers: How short sellers trade individual investors’ most purchased stocks," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    9. Greppmair, Stefan & Jank, Stephan & Smajlbegovic, Esad, 2023. "On the importance of fiscal space: Evidence from short sellers during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    10. Cristiane Gea & Marcelo Cabus Klotzle & Luciano Vereda & Antonio Carlos Figueiredo Pinto, 2023. "Pricing uncertainty in the Brazilian stock market: do size and sustainability matter?," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-37, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Short-selling; Skilled investors; Out-of-sample performance; Short-term momentum; Disposition effect;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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

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