IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pacfin/v80y2023ics0927538x23001622.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The ESG rating, spillover of ESG ratings, and stock return: Evidence from Chinese listed firms

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Hao
  • Guo, Hui
  • Hao, Xinyao
  • Zhang, Xuan

Abstract

In line with the increasing concern about climate change and the Chinese government's goal of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (known as the “Double Carbon” policy), Chinese corporations and investors are shifting their strategies towards sustainable investing. This paper investigates the spillovers of ESG ratings from other firms in the same locations and their impact on stock performance. We use the dataset of Chinese listed firms in the A-share financial market from Jan 2015 to May 2022. Our results show that firms face peer pressure from other firms' ESG ratings in the same location, and stock return is negatively related to ESG ratings. Our results are robust to different ESG rating methods and the sample of non-zombie listed firms. We also find that ESG ratings of listed firms in China are more likely to impact the stock return of non-manufacturing firms, non-SOE firms, and firms that are not located in province-level cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Hao & Guo, Hui & Hao, Xinyao & Zhang, Xuan, 2023. "The ESG rating, spillover of ESG ratings, and stock return: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:80:y:2023:i:c:s0927538x23001622
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102091
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927538X23001622
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102091?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. Heinkel, Robert & Kraus, Alan & Zechner, Josef, 2001. "The Effect of Green Investment on Corporate Behavior," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(4), pages 431-449, December.
    2. Ioannis Oikonomou & Chris Brooks & Stephen Pavelin, 2014. "The Effects of Corporate Social Performance on the Cost of Corporate Debt and Credit Ratings," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 49(1), pages 49-75, February.
    3. Pornsit Jiraporn & Napatsorn Jiraporn & Adisak Boeprasert & Kiyoung Chang, 2014. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Improve Credit Ratings? Evidence from Geographic Identification," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 43(3), pages 505-531, September.
    4. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2007. "Disagreement, tastes, and asset prices," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 667-689, March.
    5. Kim, Yongtae & Li, Haidan & Li, Siqi, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility and stock price crash risk," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1-13.
    6. Yang, Ruoke, 2022. "What do we learn from ratings about corporate social responsibility? New evidence of uninformative ratings," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    7. Karl V. Lins & Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2017. "Social Capital, Trust, and Firm Performance: The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility during the Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1785-1824, August.
    8. Pedersen, Lasse Heje & Fitzgibbons, Shaun & Pomorski, Lukasz, 2021. "Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 572-597.
    9. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    10. Stellner, Christoph & Klein, Christian & Zwergel, Bernhard, 2015. "Corporate social responsibility and Eurozone corporate bonds: The moderating role of country sustainability," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 538-549.
    11. Roy, Partha P. & Rao, Sandeep & Zhu, Min, 2022. "Mandatory CSR expenditure and stock market liquidity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    12. Luo, H. Arthur & Balvers, Ronald J., 2017. "Social Screens and Systematic Investor Boycott Risk," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(1), pages 365-399, February.
    13. Jeremy Galbreath, 2013. "ESG in Focus: The Australian Evidence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 529-541, December.
    14. Florian Berg & Julian F. Koelbel & Anna Pavlova & Roberto Rigobon, 2022. "ESG Confusion and Stock Returns: Tackling the Problem of Noise," NBER Working Papers 30562, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Dumitrescu, Ariadna & Zakriya, Mohammed, 2021. "Stakeholders and the stock price crash risk: What matters in corporate social performance?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    16. Goss, Allen & Roberts, Gordon S., 2011. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1794-1810, July.
    17. Luca Zanin, 2022. "Estimating the effects of ESG scores on corporate credit ratings using multivariate ordinal logit regression," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(6), pages 3087-3118, June.
    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. Zeng, Yongliang & Zhao, Xiangfang & Zhu, Yiwen, 2023. "Equity incentives and ESG performance: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    2. Kelvin Lee Yong Ming & Yamunah Vaicondam & Amira Mas Ayu Amir Mustafa & Siti Nurul Munawwarah Roslan & Shen Yi & Komal Chopra & Pooja Khanna, 2024. "ESG Integration and Financial Performance: Evidence from Malaysia’s Leading Companies," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(5), pages 487-494, September.
    3. Yifan Wang & Yufeiyang Zeng & Zongfa Wu, 2025. "Risk Spillover in the Carbon-Stock System and Sustainability Transition: Empirical Evidence from China’s ETS Pilots and A-Share Emission-Regulated Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-30, May.
    4. Wu, Yanran & Zhou, Riwang & Zhang, Chao, 2024. "Size and ESG premiums: Evidence from Chinese A-share market," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Zhang, Hua & Lai, Jie, 2024. "Greening through ESG: Do ESG ratings improve corporate environmental performance in China?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PC).
    6. Wen, Limin & Li, Junxue & Sheng, Jiliang & Zhang, Yi, 2025. "Active portfolio management in the face of ESG uncertainty: An agile framework for adaptive investment strategies," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(PA).
    7. Mongkhol Moolkham, 2025. "SET ESG ratings and firm value: The new sustainability performance assessment tool in Thailand," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(2), pages 1-23, February.
    8. Long, Huaigang & Chiah, Mardy & Cakici, Nusret & Zaremba, Adam & Bilgin, Mehmet Huseyin, 2024. "ESG investing in good and bad times: An international study," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    9. Chen, Zhang-HangJian & Ren, Qiming & Gao, Xiang & Kaakeh, Mohamad & Koedijk, Kees G., 2025. "Can ESG performance shape dynamic risk spillovers? Evidence from Chinese carbon and equity markets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    10. Ma, Ning & Ma, Xue, 2024. "Does the ESG rating promote common prosperity within enterprises?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    11. Wenrui Zhang & Olga Biryukova, 2025. "ESG Performance of Chinese Listed Enterprises Participating in the Belt and Road Initiative," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-22, March.
    12. Shi, Chunpei & Wei, Yu & Zheng, Yihe & Wang, Zhuo & Wang, Qian, 2024. "Is ESG investment rewarded or just doing good? Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PC).

    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. Ferriani, Fabrizio, 2023. "Issuing bonds during the Covid-19 pandemic: Was there an ESG premium?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    2. Federica Ielasi & Paolo Ceccherini & Pietro Zito, 2020. "Integrating ESG Analysis into Smart Beta Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-22, November.
    3. Jiang, Zhiqian & Xu, Yue & Fang, Mei & Tang, Ziling & Tao, Chunhua, 2023. "How does the bond market price corporate ESG engagement? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1406-1423.
    4. Meles, Antonio & Salerno, Dario & Sampagnaro, Gabriele & Verdoliva, Vincenzo & Zhang, Jianing, 2023. "The influence of green innovation on default risk: Evidence from Europe," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 692-710.
    5. Paolo Capelli & Federica Ielasi & Angeloantonio Russo, 2021. "Forecasting volatility by integrating financial risk with environmental, social, and governance risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(5), pages 1483-1495, September.
    6. Zerbib, Olivier David, 2019. "The effect of pro-environmental preferences on bond prices: Evidence from green bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 39-60.
    7. Fabrizio Ferriani & Marcello Pericoli, 2024. "ESG risks and corporate viability: insights from default probability term structure analysis," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 892, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    8. Díaz, Antonio & Escribano, Ana, 2021. "Sustainability premium in energy bonds," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    9. Luo, Di, 2022. "ESG, liquidity, and stock returns," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    10. Bai, Min & Ho, Ly, 2022. "Corporate social performance and firm debt levels: Impacts of the covid-19 pandemic and institutional environments," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    11. Arouri, Mohamed & Gomes, Mathieu & Pukthuanthong, Kuntara, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and M&A uncertainty," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 176-198.
    12. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    13. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    14. Perera, Kasun & Kuruppuarachchi, Duminda & Kumarasinghe, Sriyalatha & Suleman, Muhammad Tahir, 2023. "The impact of carbon disclosure and carbon emissions intensity on firms' idiosyncratic volatility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    15. Alves, Carlos Francisco & Meneses, Lilian Lima, 2024. "ESG scores and debt costs: Exploring indebtedness, agency costs, and financial system impact," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    16. Zeng, Huixiang & Ren, Lei & Chen, Xiaohong & Zhou, Qiong & Zhang, Tao & Cheng, Xu, 2024. "Punishment or deterrence? Environmental justice construction and corporate equity financing––Evidence from environmental courts," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    17. Boubaker, Sabri & Cellier, Alexis & Manita, Riadh & Saeed, Asif, 2020. "Does corporate social responsibility reduce financial distress risk?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 835-851.
    18. Wang, Ren & Bian, Yuxiang & Xiong, Xiong, 2024. "Impact of ESG preferences on investments and emissions in a DSGE framework," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    19. Zhang, Zhuang & Chizema, Amon & Kuo, Jing-Ming & Zhang, Qingjing, 2022. "Managerial risk-reducing incentives and social and exchange capital," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(6).
    20. Roy Cerqueti & Rocco Ciciretti & Ambrogio Dalò & Marco Nicolosi, 2022. "Mitigating Contagion Risk by ESG Investing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ESG; Stock return; ESG spillover;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pacfin:v:80:y:2023:i:c:s0927538x23001622. 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/pacfin .

    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.