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Fire sale risk and expected stock returns

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  • Aragon, George O.
  • Kim, Min S.

Abstract

We measure a stock’s exposure to fire sale risk through its ownership links to mutual funds that anticipate significant outflows during periods of systematic outflows from the fund industry. We find that stocks with higher exposure to this risk earn higher average returns: a portfolio that buys (shorts) stocks with the highest (lowest) exposure outperforms by 3-7% annually. Our findings cannot be explained by several known determinants of average returns and support the ex-ante pricing of the risk of fire sales. We conclude that stocks’ exposures to risks inherited from the constraints of shareholders have important implications for stock prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Aragon, George O. & Kim, Min S., 2023. "Fire sale risk and expected stock returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(3), pages 578-609.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:149:y:2023:i:3:p:578-609
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2023.06.006
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fire sales; Stock returns; Ownership; Mutual fund; Fund flows;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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