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Does investor attention increase stock market volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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  • Wang, Hua
  • Xu, Liao
  • Sharma, Susan Sunila

Abstract

We decompose investor attention to the COVID-19 pandemic into expected and unexpected segments and investigate their effects on realized and fundamental stock market volatility. We show that expected investor attention can explain both types of volatility. However, unexpected investor attention can only explain realized volatility, though its realized volatility effect outweighs that of expected investor attention. Moreover, the relationship between expected investor attention and either type of volatility is unidirectional whereas the interaction between unexpected investor attention and realized volatility is bidirectional. These findings suggest that expected (unexpected) investor attention is informational (noisy and more harmful) to the stock market.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Hua & Xu, Liao & Sharma, Susan Sunila, 2021. "Does investor attention increase stock market volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:69:y:2021:i:c:s0927538x21001451
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2021.101638
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    2. Maher Abida & Emna Mnif, 2023. "Investor Attention in Cryptocurrency Markets: Examining the Effects of Vaccination and COVID-19 Spread through a Wavelet Approach," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(5), pages 43-51, September.
    3. Wenwen Liu & Jinyu Yang & Jingrui Chen & Lei Xu, 2023. "How Social-Network Attention and Sentiment of Investors Affect Commodity Futures Market Returns: New Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, January.
    4. Imene Ben El Hadj Said & Skander Slim, 2022. "The Dynamic Relationship between Investor Attention and Stock Market Volatility: International Evidence," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-25, February.
    5. Dash, Saumya Ranjan & Maitra, Debasish, 2022. "The COVID-19 pandemic uncertainty, investor sentiment, and global equity markets: Evidence from the time-frequency co-movements," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    6. Weihan Zhao & Jianing Zhang, 2024. "Investor Attention and Stock Liquidity in the Chinese Market," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 30(1), pages 65-82, February.
    7. Emre BULUT & Ahmed İhsan ŞİMŞEK, 2023. "The Relationship Between the Stock Market Volatility, Liquidity, Exchange Rate Return, and Stock Return During the COVID-19 Period: The case of the BIST 100 Index," Bingol University Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bingol University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, vol. 7(1), pages 121-135, June.
    8. Oguzhan Cepni, Duc Khuong Nguyen, and Ahmet Sensoy, 2022. "News Media and Attention Spillover across Energy Markets: A Powerful Predictor of Crude Oil Futures Prices," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Special I).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Efficient price; Investor attention; Stock market volatility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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