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Stock market reaction to COVID-19: Evidence from U.S. Firms’ International exposure

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  • Au Yong, Hue Hwa
  • Laing, Elaine

Abstract

We examine the U.S. stock market reaction to the World Health Organization's announcement declaring COVID-19 a global health emergency, with a focus on firms' international exposure. We find that while international exposure through foreign sales, foreign assets, imports and exports are significant and negatively associated with standardized cumulative abnormal returns in the short-run, the effect reverses in the long-run. In the long-run, internationalization contributes to multinational firms being more resilient to economic shocks caused by COVID-19.

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  • Au Yong, Hue Hwa & Laing, Elaine, 2021. "Stock market reaction to COVID-19: Evidence from U.S. Firms’ International exposure," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:76:y:2021:i:c:s1057521920302969
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2020.101656
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    Cited by:

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    4. Guastella, Gianni & Mazzarano, Matteo & Pareglio, Stefano & Xepapadeas, Anastasios, 2022. "Climate reputation risk and abnormal returns in the stock markets: A focus on large emitters," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    5. Ahmad, Wasim & Kutan, Ali M. & Chahal, Rishman Jot Kaur & Kattumuri, Ruth, 2021. "COVID-19 Pandemic and firm-level dynamics in the USA, UK, Europe, and Japan," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Anastasiou, Dimitris & Ballis, Antonis & Drakos, Konstantinos, 2022. "Constructing a positive sentiment index for COVID-19: Evidence from G20 stock markets," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Khanh Hoang & Cuong Nguyen & Dung Viet Tran & Anh Phan, 2022. "International Corporate Cash Holdings and Firm-Level Exposure to COVID-19: Do Cultural Dimensions Matter?," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Tokbolat, Yerzhan & Le, Hang, 2022. "Covid-19: Corporate diversification and post-crash returns," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    9. Cervantes, Paula & Díaz, Antonio & Esparcia, Carlos & Huélamo, Diego, 2022. "The impact of COVID-19 induced panic on stock market returns: A two-year experience," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1075-1097.
    10. Bedford, Anna & Bugeja, Martin & Ghannam, Samir & Jeganathan, Davina & Ma, Nelson, 2023. "Were CEO pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic merely symbolic? Shareholders' reaction and outrage," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    International exposure; Stock market reaction; COVID-19; Multinationality; Geographical diversification; Internationalization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • F30 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - General
    • F60 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - General
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)

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