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Business sustainability factors and stock price informativeness

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  • Ng, Anthony C.
  • Rezaee, Zabihollah

Abstract

This paper investigates whether and how business sustainability performance and disclosure factors affect stock price informativeness (SPI). We find that non-financial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability performance factors are positively associated with idiosyncratic volatility (our proxy for SPI) after controlling for financial-economic performance. We further show that the association between sustainability performance factors and SPI is stronger for firms with higher sustainability disclosure. We find that the association between ESG sustainability performance factors and SPI is stronger when economic performance is weaker, suggesting that investors tend to pay more attention to ESG performance factors when firms are financially underperforming. This study shows that investors pay attention to both firm economic performance (corporate profitability and growth prospect) and ESG sustainability performance and disclosure factors, which have implications for policymakers, regulators, investors, businesses, and researchers.

Suggested Citation

  • Ng, Anthony C. & Rezaee, Zabihollah, 2020. "Business sustainability factors and stock price informativeness," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:64:y:2020:i:c:s0929119920301322
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101688
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    3. Wang, Hu & Jiang, Shuyang, 2023. "Green bond issuance and stock price informativeness," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 120-133.
    4. Rezaee, Zabihollah & Homayoun, Saeid & Poursoleyman, Ehsan & Rezaee, Nick J., 2023. "Comparative analysis of environmental, social, and governance disclosures," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
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    6. Lou, Youcheng & Rahi, Rohit, 2023. "Information, market power and welfare," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120479, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Adam Arian & John Sands & Stuart Tooley, 2023. "Industry and Stakeholder Impacts on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Financial Performance: Consumer vs. Industrial Sectors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.
    8. Chen, Shu & Han, Xiaoyan & Zhang, Zili & Zhao, Xuejun, 2023. "ESG investment in China: Doing well by doing good," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    9. Gallucci, Carmen & Santulli, Rosalia & Lagasio, Valentina, 2022. "The conceptualization of environmental, social and governance risks in portfolio studies A systematic literature review," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Pornanong Budsaratragoon & Boonlert Jitmaneeroj, 2021. "Corporate Sustainability and Stock Value in Asian–Pacific Emerging Markets: Synergies or Tradeoffs among ESG Factors?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, June.
    11. Hübel, Benjamin, 2022. "Do markets value ESG risks in sovereign credit curves?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 134-148.
    12. Wang, Kai & Chen, Xi & Wang, Chenye, 2023. "The impact of sustainable development planning in resource-based cities on corporate ESG–Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    13. Wang, Hu & Shen, Hong & Li, Shouwei, 2023. "ESG performance and stock price fragility," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    14. Haowen Tian & Gaoliang Tian, 2022. "Corporate sustainability and trade credit financing: Evidence from environmental, social, and governance ratings," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1896-1908, September.
    15. Guo, Chunying & Yang, Baochen & Fan, Ying, 2022. "Does mandatory CSR disclosure improve stock price informativeness? Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustainability performance; Sustainability disclosure; Stock Price Informativeness; Idiosyncratic volatility; Abnormal turnover; Corporate governance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • M42 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Auditing

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