Small Growth and Distress Returns: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

We propose a unified explanation for two seemingly disparate empirical findings: the negative abnormal returns of distressed stocks, and of small growth stocks. Based on a counterintuitive result relating option prices to jump risk (Merton (1976)), we show via an investment valuation model that higher idiosyncratic risks of sudden corporate failure simultaneously generate lower expected returns and higher valuation ratios among smaller firms. Consistent with the model, high failure risk traits characterize small growth stocks, and a failure risk factor subsumes small growth returns while explaining several asset pricing anomalies.

Keywords: Distress, size, book-to-market, small, growth, glamor, stocks, failure risk, default risk, anomalies, cross section of stock returns, asset pricing, real options, growth options, mixed jump-diffusion process

JEL Classification: G1, G10, G12, G13, G19, G30, G31, G32, D21, D24, D92

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Bhamra, Harjoat Singh and Shim, Kyung Hwan, Small Growth and Distress Returns: Two Sides of the Same Coin? (February 23, 2016). 2015 World Congress of the Econometric Society, 1st Place, 2015 CQAsia Academic Competition, Hong Kong, 2014 SAFE Asset Pricing Workshop, Best Paper on Valuation, 2014 26th Annual Meetings Northern Finance Association, Ottawa, 2014 International Conference on Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2280025 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2280025