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The size effect reversal in the USA

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  • Samer Al-Rjoub
  • Oscar Varela
  • M. Kabir Hassan

Abstract

The paper examines the size effect reversal in the USA over the period 1970-1999, using data for the ten size deciles in the CRSP tapes during this 40-year period. Betas for small-firm portfolios increase as the return interval analysed increases, and are lower than large-firm portfolios for daily data but higher for monthly and quarterly data. Differences between small- and large-firm portfolio returns are associated with higher betas as return intervals increase, with lower betas for daily data, and higher for quarterly data. Before 1981 when the small-firm effect was published, smaller firms' relative risk coefficients were biased downwards compared to aggregated coefficients, while larger firms' were biased upwards, as expected. But after 1981, a partial reversal occurred with larger firms' relative risk coefficients also biased downwards and by more than the smaller firms. In the post-period, relative risk measures generated higher abnormal returns for large firms than for small firms, effectively a large-firm effect, because large firms' risks were more understated, possibly due to their relatively less frequent trading. However, these abnormal returns were reduced for large (and small) firms when using more appropriate aggregated risk coefficients.

Suggested Citation

  • Samer Al-Rjoub & Oscar Varela & M. Kabir Hassan, 2005. "The size effect reversal in the USA," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(17), pages 1189-1197.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:apfiec:v:15:y:2005:i:17:p:1189-1197
    DOI: 10.1080/09603100500359542
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Jose Fernandes & Augusto Hasman & Juan Ignacio Pena, 2007. "Risk premium: insights over the threshold," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 41-59.
    3. Torchio Frank & Surana Sunita, 2014. "Effect of Liquidity on Size Premium and its Implications for Financial Valuations," Journal of Business Valuation and Economic Loss Analysis, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 55-85, January.
    4. Robert Rutledge & Zhaohui Zhang & Khondkar Karim, 2008. "Is There a Size Effect in the Pricing of Stocks in the Chinese Stock Markets?: The Case of Bull Versus Bear Markets," Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Springer;Japanese Association of Financial Economics and Engineering, vol. 15(2), pages 117-133, June.
    5. Samuel Tabot Enow, 2023. "Investigating Joint Market Hypothesis during Periods of Financial Distress and its Implications," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(2), pages 46-50, March.
    6. Tienyu Hwang & Simon Gao & Heather Owen, 2014. "Markowitz efficiency and size effect: evidence from the UK stock market," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 721-750, November.

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