Information Shocks and Short-Term Market Underreaction
61 Pages Posted: 29 Dec 2016
Date Written: June 23, 2016
Abstract
Using jumps in stock prices as a proxy for large information shocks, we provide evidence consistent with short-term underreaction in the US equity market. Strategies long (short) stocks with positive (negative) lagged jump returns earn significantly positive returns over the next one to three-month horizons. The results based on intraday jumps, especially overnight jumps, provide further evidence consistent with underreaction. The underreaction is robust to controlling for other firm characteristics, extends stock return momentum over intermediate to short horizons, and captures market underreaction to information shocks beyond earnings surprises. We further show that limited investor attention contributes to short-term underreaction.
Keywords: Information shocks; short-term underreaction; stock return momentum; earnings announcement effect; limited investor attention
JEL Classification: G12; G14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation