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Are the Gains from Foreign Diversification Diminishing? Assessing the Impact with Cross-listed Stocks

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  • Karen K. Lewis
  • Sandy Lai

Abstract

How important is foreign diversification? In this paper, we re-examine this question motivated by findings from the literature about foreign companies that are listed on US exchanges. Specifically, domestic portfolios including cross-listed stocks can provide the same diversification as foreign market returns without the need for US investors to go abroad. At the same time, the betas of these foreign stock returns against the US market increase after cross-listing, suggesting diversification worsens over time. In this paper, we assess the impact of these changes on foreign diversification for a US investor. We test for and estimate breaks in the sensitivity of individual foreign stocks listed on US exchanges. We find that roughly half of the changes in betas arise from greater integration between the U.S. and the companies' home markets, not in the companies betas themselves. Moreover, the gains from diversifying into these stocks has declined over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen K. Lewis & Sandy Lai, 2012. "Are the Gains from Foreign Diversification Diminishing? Assessing the Impact with Cross-listed Stocks," NBER Working Papers 18627, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:18627
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    Cited by:

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    2. Haim Levy, 2017. "What is the Economic Cost of the Investment Home Bias?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(5), pages 897-929, August.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models
    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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