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Profiting from Regulation: An Event Study of the EU Carbon Market

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  • Bushnell, James
  • Mansur, Erin T.
  • Chong, Howard G.

Abstract

We investigate the effect of cap-and-trade regulation of CO2 on firm profits by performing an event study of a CO2 price crash in the EU market. We examine returns for 90 stocks from carbon intensive industries and 600 stocks in the broad EUROSTOXX index. Firms in carbon intensive, or electricity intensive industries, but not involved in international trade were most hurt by the event. This implies investors were focused on product price impacts, rather than compliance costs. We find evidence that firms' net allowance positions also strongly influenced the share price response to the decline in allowance prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Bushnell, James & Mansur, Erin T. & Chong, Howard G., 2010. "Profiting from Regulation: An Event Study of the EU Carbon Market," Staff General Research Papers Archive 32737, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:32737
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    Cited by:

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    2. Holland, Stephen P. & Moore, Michael R., 2013. "Market design in cap and trade programs: Permit validity and compliance timing," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(3), pages 671-687.
    3. Gabriel E Lade & C -Y Cynthia Lin Lawell & Aaron Smith, 2018. "Policy Shocks and Market-Based Regulations: Evidence from the Renewable Fuel Standard," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(3), pages 707-731.
    4. Ralf Martin & Mirabelle Mu?ls & Laure B. de Preux & Ulrich J. Wagner, 2014. "Industry Compensation under Relocation Risk: A Firm-Level Analysis of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(8), pages 2482-2508, August.
    5. Nicola De Vivo & Giovanni Marin, 2018. "How neutral is the choice of the allocation mechanism in cap-and-trade schemes? Evidence from the EU-ETS," Argomenti, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics, vol. 9(9), pages 1-24, January-A.
    6. Gabriel E. Lade & James Bushnell, 2019. "Fuel Subsidy Pass-Through and Market Structure: Evidence from the Renewable Fuel Standard," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(3), pages 563-592.
    7. Managi, Shunsuke & Okimoto, Tatsuyoshi, 2013. "Does the price of oil interact with clean energy prices in the stock market?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 1-9.
    8. Thijs Jong & Oscar Couwenberg & Edwin Woerdman, 2013. "Does the EU ETS Bite? The Impact of Allowance Over-Allocation on Share Prices," RSCAS Working Papers 2013/54, European University Institute.
    9. Stocking, Andrew, 2012. "Unintended consequences of price controls: An application to allowance markets," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 120-136.
    10. Emrah Koçak & Umit Bulut & Angeliki N. Menegaki, 2022. "The resilience of green firms in the twirl of COVID‐19: Evidence from S&P500 Carbon Efficiency Index with a Fourier approach," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(1), pages 32-45, January.
    11. Grossi, Luigi & Waterson, Michael, 2013. "German Energy Market Fallout from the Japanese Earthquake," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 157, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    12. Gabriel E. Lade & James Bushnell, 2016. "Fuel Subsidy Pass-Through and Market Structure: Evidence from the Renewable Fuel Standard," Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) Publications 16-wp570, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University.
    13. Elsayed, Ahmed H. & Billah, Mabruk & Goodell, John W. & Hadhri, Sinda, 2024. "Examining connections between the fourth industrial revolution and energy markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Emissions Markets; Incidence of Taxation; Event Study;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • H22 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Incidence
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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