IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/riibaf/v60y2022ics0275531922000101.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The performance of Islamic versus conventional stocks during the COVID-19 shock: Evidence from firm-level data

Author

Listed:
  • shear, Falik
  • Ashraf, Badar Nadeem

Abstract

In this study, we extend the recently heated debate that compares the performance of Shariah compliant equities with their non-Shariah compliant counterparts especially during the Covid-19 shock. Unlike the existing literature, which uses stock market index level data to reach controversial conclusions, we use firm-level stock returns data to find robust evidence that Shariah compliant stocks outperformed their conventional counterparts during the Covid-19 market meltdown. More specifically, we find that the prices of Shariah compliant stocks reacted to the increase in Coronavirus confirmed cases and government social distancing measures with lower negative returns than the prices of non-Shariah compliant stocks. Overall, our findings imply that Shariah compliant stocks fared better during the Covid-19 crisis episode.

Suggested Citation

  • shear, Falik & Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2022. "The performance of Islamic versus conventional stocks during the COVID-19 shock: Evidence from firm-level data," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:60:y:2022:i:c:s0275531922000101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101622
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0275531922000101
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101622?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Umar, Zaghum & Gubareva, Mariya, 2021. "Faith-based investments and the Covid-19 pandemic: Analyzing equity volatility and media coverage time-frequency relations," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    2. Falik Shear & Badar Nadeem Ashraf & Mohsin Sadaqat, 2020. "Are Investors’ Attention and Uncertainty Aversion the Risk Factors for Stock Markets? International Evidence from the COVID-19 Crisis," Risks, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Al-Awadhi, Abdullah M. & Alsaifi, Khaled & Al-Awadhi, Ahmad & Alhammadi, Salah, 2020. "Death and contagious infectious diseases: Impact of the COVID-19 virus on stock market returns," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C).
    4. Zhang, Dayong & Hu, Min & Ji, Qiang, 2020. "Financial markets under the global pandemic of COVID-19," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    5. Stefano Ramelli & Alexander F. Wagner, 2020. "Feverish Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 20-12, Swiss Finance Institute.
    6. Espinosa-Méndez, Christian & Arias, Jose, 2021. "COVID-19 effect on herding behaviour in European capital markets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    7. Seven, Ünal & Yılmaz, Fatih, 2021. "World equity markets and COVID-19: Immediate response and recovery prospects," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    8. Ahmet Sensoy, 2016. "Systematic Risk in Conventional and Islamic Equity Markets," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 16(3), pages 457-466, September.
    9. Rui Albuquerque & Yrjo Koskinen & Shuai Yang & Chendi Zhang, 2020. "Resiliency of Environmental and Social Stocks: An Analysis of the Exogenous COVID-19 Market Crash," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(3), pages 593-621.
    10. Christos Alexakis & Vasileios Pappas & Alexandros Tsikouras, 2017. "Hidden cointegration reveals hidden values in Islamic investments," Post-Print hal-02006352, HAL.
    11. Ashraf, Dawood & Mohammad, Nazeeruddin, 2014. "Matching perception with the reality—Performance of Islamic equity investments," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 175-189.
    12. Matos, Paulo & Costa, Antonio & da Silva, Cristiano, 2021. "COVID-19, stock market and sectoral contagion in US: a time-frequency analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    13. Al-Khazali, Osamah & Lean, Hooi Hooi & Samet, Anis, 2014. "Do Islamic stock indexes outperform conventional stock indexes? A stochastic dominance approach," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 29-46.
    14. Mirza, Nawazish & Abbas Rizvi, Syed Kumail & Saba, Irum & Naqvi, Bushra & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2022. "The resilience of Islamic equity funds during COVID-19: Evidence from risk adjusted performance, investment styles and volatility timing," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 276-295.
    15. Ding, Wenzhi & Levine, Ross & Lin, Chen & Xie, Wensi, 2021. "Corporate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 802-830.
    16. Azad, A.S.M.S. & Azmat, Saad & Chazi, Abdelaziz & Ahsan, Amirul, 2018. "Sailing with the non-conventional stocks when there is no place to hide," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-16.
    17. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2021. "Stock markets’ reaction to Covid-19: Moderating role of national culture," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    18. Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Hassan, M. Kabir & Rashid, Md. Mamunur & Alhenawi, Yasser, 2021. "Are safe haven assets really safe during the 2008 global financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    19. Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Mahi, Masnun & Hassan, M. Kabir & Bhuiyan, Abul Bashar, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stock markets: Conventional vs. Islamic indices using wavelet-based multi-timescales analysis," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    20. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2020. "Economic impact of government interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: International evidence from financial markets," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C).
    21. Alexakis, Christos & Pappas, Vasileios & Tsikouras, Alexandros, 2017. "Hidden cointegration reveals hidden values in Islamic investments," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 70-83.
    22. Wagner, Alexander F. & Ramelli, Stefano, 2020. "Feverish Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19," CEPR Discussion Papers 14511, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    23. Stefano Ramelli & Alexander F Wagner, 2020. "Feverish Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(3), pages 622-655.
    24. Bae, Kee-Hong & El Ghoul, Sadok & Gong, Zhaoran (Jason) & Guedhami, Omrane, 2021. "Does CSR matter in times of crisis? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    25. Dharani, Munusamy & Hassan, M. Kabir & Rabbani, Mustafa Raza & Huq, Tahsin, 2022. "Does the Covid-19 pandemic affect faith-based investments? Evidence from global sectoral indices," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    26. Sherif, Mohamed, 2020. "The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on faith-based investments: An original analysis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    27. Goodell, John W., 2020. "COVID-19 and finance: Agendas for future research," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    28. Al-Yahyaee, Khamis Hamed & Mensi, Walid & Rehman, Mobeen Ur & Vo, Xuan Vinh & Kang, Sang Hoon, 2020. "Do Islamic stocks outperform conventional stock sectors during normal and crisis periods? Extreme co-movements and portfolio management analysis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    29. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2020. "Stock markets’ reaction to COVID-19: Cases or fatalities?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Md. Abu Issa Gazi & Md. Nahiduzzaman & Iman Harymawan & Abdullah Al Masud & Bablu Kumar Dhar, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Performance and Profitability of Banking Sector in Special Reference to Private Commercial Banks: Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-23, May.
    2. Nguyen, Huu Manh & Bakry, Walid & Vuong, Thi Huong Giang, 2023. "COVID-19 pandemic and herd behavior: Evidence from a frontier market," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    3. Zou, Fei & Huang, Lingyu & Ghaemi Asl, Mahdi & Delnavaz, Mohammad & Tiwari, Sunil, 2023. "Natural resources and green economic recovery in responsible investments: Role of ESG in context of Islamic sustainable investments," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    4. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Tabash, Mosab I. & Hassan, M. Kabir, 2022. "Are Islamic banks more resilient to the crises vis-à-vis conventional banks? Evidence from the COVID-19 shock using stock market data," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    5. Abdullah, Mohammad & Chowdhury, Mohammad Ashraful Ferdous & Sulong, Zunaidah, 2023. "Asymmetric efficiency and connectedness among green stocks, halal tourism stocks, cryptocurrencies, and commodities: Portfolio hedging implications," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Selmi, Refk & Wohar, Mark & Deisting, Florent & Kasmaoui, Kamal, 2023. "Dynamic inflation hedging performance and downside risk: A comparison between Islamic and conventional stock indices," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 56-67.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Tabash, Mosab I. & Hassan, M. Kabir, 2022. "Are Islamic banks more resilient to the crises vis-à-vis conventional banks? Evidence from the COVID-19 shock using stock market data," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Yarovaya, Larisa & Brzeszczyński, Janusz & Goodell, John W. & Lucey, Brian & Lau, Chi Keung Marco, 2022. "Rethinking financial contagion: Information transmission mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Rouatbi, Wael & Demir, Ender & Kizys, Renatas & Zaremba, Adam, 2021. "Immunizing markets against the pandemic: COVID-19 vaccinations and stock volatility around the world," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Yousaf, Imran & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2022. "Spillovers between the Islamic gold-backed cryptocurrencies and equity markets during the COVID-19: A sectorial analysis," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    5. Zaremba, Adam & Kizys, Renatas & Tzouvanas, Panagiotis & Aharon, David Y. & Demir, Ender, 2021. "The quest for multidimensional financial immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from international stock markets," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem & Goodell, John W., 2022. "The impact of social cohesion on stock market resilience: Evidence from COVID-19," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    7. Szczygielski, Jan Jakub & Charteris, Ailie & Bwanya, Princess Rutendo & Brzeszczyński, Janusz, 2022. "The impact and role of COVID-19 uncertainty: A global industry analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Rashid, Md. Mamunur & Shafiullah, Muhammad & Sarker, Tapan, 2022. "How resilient are Islamic financial markets during the COVID-19 pandemic?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    9. Kamal, Javed Bin & Wohar, Mark, 2023. "Heterogenous responses of stock markets to covid related news and sentiments: Evidence from the 1st year of pandemic," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 68-85.
    10. Cakici, Nusret & Zaremba, Adam, 2021. "Who should be afraid of infections? Pandemic exposure and the cross-section of stock returns," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    11. Aharon, David Y. & Siev, Smadar, 2021. "COVID-19, government interventions and emerging capital markets performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    12. Szczygielski, Jan Jakub & Charteris, Ailie & Bwanya, Princess Rutendo & Brzeszczyński, Janusz, 2023. "Which COVID-19 information really impacts stock markets?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    13. Umar, Zaghum & Mokni, Khaled & Escribano, Ana, 2022. "Connectedness between the COVID-19 related media coverage and Islamic equities: The role of economic policy uncertainty," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    14. Ashraf, Badar Nadeem, 2021. "Stock markets’ reaction to Covid-19: Moderating role of national culture," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    15. Tiwari, Aviral Kumar & Abakah, Emmanuel Joel Aikins & Karikari, Nana Kwasi & Gil-Alana, Luis Alberiko, 2022. "The outbreak of COVID-19 and stock market liquidity: Evidence from emerging and developed equity markets," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    16. Gu, Tiantian & Venkateswaran, Anand & Erath, Marc, 2023. "Impact of fiscal stimulus on volatility: A cross-country analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    17. Demir, Ender & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk, 2021. "Banking sector reactions to COVID-19: The role of bank-specific factors and government policy responses," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    18. Xue, Fujing & Li, Xiaoyu & Zhang, Ting & Hu, Nan, 2021. "Stock market reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic: The moderating role of corporate big data strategies based on Word2Vec," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    19. Chazi, Abdelaziz & Samet, Anis & Azad, A.S.M. Sohel, 2023. "Volatility and correlation of Islamic and conventional indices during crises," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    20. Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Mahi, Masnun & Hassan, M. Kabir & Bhuiyan, Abul Bashar, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stock markets: Conventional vs. Islamic indices using wavelet-based multi-timescales analysis," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:riibaf:v:60:y:2022:i:c:s0275531922000101. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ribaf .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.