Decomposing the Effect of Consumer Sentiment News - Evidence from US Stock and Stock Index Futures Markets

40 Pages Posted: 7 Feb 2011 Last revised: 10 Feb 2011

See all articles by Shumi M. Akhtar

Shumi M. Akhtar

The University of Sydney

Robert W. Faff

University of Queensland; Bond University

Barry R. Oliver

University of Queensland - Business School; Financial Research Network (FIRN)

Avanidhar Subrahmanyam

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Finance Area; Financial Research Network (FIRN)

Date Written: February 6, 2011

Abstract

We examine the announcement effects of consumer sentiment on US stock and stock futures markets. First, we find that the consumer sentiment announcement has valuable information content. Second, an asymmetric response is observed for “good” versus “bad” sentiment news. Specifically, when a lower (higher) than previous month consumer sentiment index is announced, equity and futures markets experience a significant negative announcement day (no) effect. This supports the “negativity effect” (identified from the psychology literature). Third, the effect of negative consumer sentiment announcements is evident in salient stocks rather than in sentiment prone stocks. This supports the availability heuristic.

Keywords: Consumer sentiment, behavioural finance, stock market

JEL Classification: G1, G14

Suggested Citation

Akhtar, Shumi M. and Faff, Robert W. and Oliver, Barry Ross and Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar, Decomposing the Effect of Consumer Sentiment News - Evidence from US Stock and Stock Index Futures Markets (February 6, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1756507 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1756507

Shumi M. Akhtar (Contact Author)

The University of Sydney ( email )

University of Sydney Business School
corner of Codrington Street and Darlington Street
Chippendale, NSW 2006
Australia
61290369309 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.firn.org.au

Robert W. Faff

University of Queensland ( email )

St Lucia
Brisbane, Queensland 4072
Australia

Bond University ( email )

Gold Coast, QLD 4229
Australia

Barry Ross Oliver

University of Queensland - Business School ( email )

Brisbane, Queensland 4072
Australia

Financial Research Network (FIRN)

C/- University of Queensland Business School
St Lucia, 4071 Brisbane
Queensland
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www.firn.org.au

Avanidhar Subrahmanyam

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Finance Area ( email )

Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States
310-825-5355 (Phone)
310-206-5455 (Fax)

Financial Research Network (FIRN)

C/- University of Queensland Business School
St Lucia, 4071 Brisbane
Queensland
Australia

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
275
Abstract Views
2,072
Rank
202,355
PlumX Metrics