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The cross-section of investment and profitability: Implications for asset pricing

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  • Kilic, Mete
  • Yang, Louis
  • Zhang, Miao Ben

Abstract

Asset pricing predictions from the investment CAPM depend on the cross-sectional relation between investment and profitability. In samples of U.S. stocks featuring high cross-sectional investment-profitability correlation, both investment and profitability premiums are weak. Consistent with the conditional predictions from the investment CAPM, triple sorts on size, investment, and profitability as in Hou et al. (2015)’s q-factors resurrect the premiums in the high-correlation samples. We find similar results using cash-based profitability, consistent with the dynamic investment CAPM. Our work has important implications for constructing asset pricing factors and interpreting out-of-sample asset pricing test results, in particular the insignificance of historical investment and profitability premiums.

Suggested Citation

  • Kilic, Mete & Yang, Louis & Zhang, Miao Ben, 2022. "The cross-section of investment and profitability: Implications for asset pricing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(3), pages 706-724.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:145:y:2022:i:3:p:706-724
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2022.06.003
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    2. Chen, Shan & Liu, Xujun & Li, Tao, 2023. "Does the investment-profitability correlation affect the factor premiums? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment CAPM; Cross-section of stock returns; q-Factors; Investment premium; Profitability premium; Out-of-sample test;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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