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The relationship between terrorist attacks and cryptocurrency returns

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  • Pankaj C. Patel
  • Igor Pereira

Abstract

Complementing increasing concerns that cryptocurrency could be used to finance terror networks, in this paper we investigate the effect of monthly terrorist attacks outcomes – success, injuries, and fatalities – on monthly returns of 1,178 cryptocurrencies representing 18,016 cryptocurrency-year-months between 2014 and 2018. The monthly percentage of successful terror attacks Granger causes the monthly cryptocurrency returns and lowers the monthly cryptocurrency returns. Increasing success in terror attacks is negatively associated with cryptocurrency returns, the count of wounded is negatively associated with cryptocurrency returns, however, the count of dead is positively associated with cryptocurrency returns. The success in terror attacks has the largest effect on returns, relative to the count of wounded and dead. The estimates are consistent when controlling for cross-sectional correlation among major cryptocurrencies, and cryptocurrencies could be a weak hedge against successful terrorist attacks. The findings are robust to cryptocurrencies in the top three quartiles of the market capitalization and the mediation analysis shows that terror attacks lower returns through the decline in the short-term macroeconomic cycle.

Suggested Citation

  • Pankaj C. Patel & Igor Pereira, 2021. "The relationship between terrorist attacks and cryptocurrency returns," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(8), pages 940-961, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:53:y:2021:i:8:p:940-961
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2020.1819952
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    Cited by:

    1. Long, Huaigang & Demir, Ender & Będowska-Sójka, Barbara & Zaremba, Adam & Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain, 2022. "Is geopolitical risk priced in the cross-section of cryptocurrency returns?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    2. Duc Hong Vo & Minh Phuoc-Bao Tran, 2023. "Do geopolitical risks from the economic powers dominate world gold return? Evidence from the quantile connectedness approach," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(6), pages 4661-4688, December.
    3. Yu Song & Bo Chen & Xin-Yi Wang, 2023. "Cryptocurrency technology revolution: are Bitcoin prices and terrorist attacks related?," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-20, December.

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