IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v88y2023icp1444-1463.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cryptocurrencies are not immune to coronavirus: Evidence from investor fear

Author

Listed:
  • Hoang, Lai T.
  • Baur, Dirk G.

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of fear of coronavirus on returns and volatility of five major cryptocurrencies during the COVID-19 outbreak. Adopting Google search volume on a comprehensive list of coronavirus-related terms to construct a gauge of fear, we show that daily innovations in coronavirus fear are associated with lower prices and higher volatility. The effects are driven by the extreme events and associated googling in March 2020. Out-of-sample tests further show a significant contribution of fear to forecasting next-day returns and volatility. The results indicate that (i) cryptocurrencies (particularly bitcoin) are not a safe haven for investors against the COVID-19 pandemic, and (ii) Google searches contain important information to explain cryptocurrency market movements during times of crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Hoang, Lai T. & Baur, Dirk G., 2023. "Cryptocurrencies are not immune to coronavirus: Evidence from investor fear," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 1444-1463.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:1444-1463
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2023.06.018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056023001879
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2023.06.018?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. Clark, Todd E. & West, Kenneth D., 2007. "Approximately normal tests for equal predictive accuracy in nested models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 138(1), pages 291-311, May.
    2. Atsushi Inoue & Lutz Kilian, 2005. "In-Sample or Out-of-Sample Tests of Predictability: Which One Should We Use?," Econometric Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(4), pages 371-402.
    3. Kislay Kumar Jha & Dirk G. Baur, 2020. "Regime-Dependent Good and Bad Volatility of Bitcoin," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Glosten, Lawrence R & Jagannathan, Ravi & Runkle, David E, 1993. "On the Relation between the Expected Value and the Volatility of the Nominal Excess Return on Stocks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 48(5), pages 1779-1801, December.
    5. Amihud, Yakov, 2002. "Illiquidity and stock returns: cross-section and time-series effects," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 31-56, January.
    6. Urquhart, Andrew & Zhang, Hanxiong, 2019. "Is Bitcoin a hedge or safe haven for currencies? An intraday analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 49-57.
    7. John Y. Campbell & Samuel B. Thompson, 2008. "Predicting Excess Stock Returns Out of Sample: Can Anything Beat the Historical Average?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 21(4), pages 1509-1531, July.
    8. Smales, L.A., 2019. "Bitcoin as a safe haven: Is it even worth considering?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 385-393.
    9. Smales, L.A., 2021. "Investor attention and global market returns during the COVID-19 crisis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    10. Bollerslev, Tim & Patton, Andrew J. & Quaedvlieg, Rogier, 2016. "Exploiting the errors: A simple approach for improved volatility forecasting," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 192(1), pages 1-18.
    11. Andersen T. G & Bollerslev T. & Diebold F. X & Labys P., 2001. "The Distribution of Realized Exchange Rate Volatility," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 96, pages 42-55, March.
    12. Papadamou, Stephanos & Fassas, Athanasios P. & Kenourgios, Dimitris & Dimitriou, Dimitrios, 2021. "Flight-to-quality between global stock and bond markets in the COVID era," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    13. Conlon, Thomas & McGee, Richard, 2020. "Safe haven or risky hazard? Bitcoin during the Covid-19 bear market," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    14. Clark, Todd E. & McCracken, Michael W., 2005. "The power of tests of predictive ability in the presence of structural breaks," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 1-31, January.
    15. Goodell, John W. & Goutte, Stephane, 2021. "Co-movement of COVID-19 and Bitcoin: Evidence from wavelet coherence analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    16. Kraaijeveld, Olivier & De Smedt, Johannes, 2020. "The predictive power of public Twitter sentiment for forecasting cryptocurrency prices," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    17. Corbet, Shaen & Larkin, Charles & Lucey, Brian, 2020. "The contagion effects of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from gold and cryptocurrencies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    18. Conlon, Thomas & Corbet, Shaen & McGee, Richard J., 2020. "Are cryptocurrencies a safe haven for equity markets? An international perspective from the COVID-19 pandemic," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    19. Dwyer, Gerald P., 2015. "The economics of Bitcoin and similar private digital currencies," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 81-91.
    20. Ji, Qiang & Zhang, Dayong & Zhao, Yuqian, 2020. "Searching for safe-haven assets during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    21. Smales, L.A., 2016. "Risk-on/Risk-off: Financial market response to investor fear," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 125-134.
    22. Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain & Bouri, Elie & Roubaud, David & Kristoufek, Ladislav & Lucey, Brian, 2019. "Is Bitcoin a better safe-haven investment than gold and commodities?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 322-330.
    23. Baur, Dirk G. & Hong, KiHoon & Lee, Adrian D., 2018. "Bitcoin: Medium of exchange or speculative assets?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 177-189.
    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. Prince Hikouatcha & Guillaume Tchoffo & Vatis Christian Kemezang & Jules Roger Feudjo, 2024. "An insight on non-standard asset pricing: does COVID-19 matter in the crypto-asset market?," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(3), pages 1-30, March.
    2. Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr & Husain, Afzol & Bossman, Ahmed & Karim, Sitara, 2024. "Assessing the linkage of energy cryptocurrency with clean and dirty energy markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Okorie, David Iheke & Bouri, Elie & Mazur, Mieszko, 2024. "NFTs versus conventional cryptocurrencies: A comparative analysis of market efficiency around COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 126-151.

    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. Diniz-Maganini, Natalia & Diniz, Eduardo H. & Rasheed, Abdul A., 2021. "Bitcoin’s price efficiency and safe haven properties during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparison," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Apergis, Nicholas, 2022. "COVID-19 and cryptocurrency volatility: Evidence from asymmetric modelling," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    3. Belanes, Amel & Saâdaoui, Foued & Amirat, Amina & Rabbouch, Hana, 2024. "Safety assessment of cryptocurrencies as risky assets during the COVID-19 pandemic," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 651(C).
    4. Assaf, Ata & Mokni, Khaled & Yousaf, Imran & Bhandari, Avishek, 2023. "Long memory in the high frequency cryptocurrency markets using fractal connectivity analysis: The impact of COVID-19," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Dunbar, Kwamie & Owusu-Amoako, Johnson, 2022. "Hedging the extreme risk of cryptocurrency," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Ren, Xiaohang & Wang, Rui & Duan, Kun & Chen, Jinyu, 2022. "Dynamics of the sheltering role of Bitcoin against crude oil market crash with varying severity of the COVID-19: A comparison with gold," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    7. Bouteska, Ahmed & Sharif, Taimur & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul, 2023. "Volatility spillovers and other dynamics between cryptocurrencies and the energy and bond markets," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-13.
    8. Guo, Xiaochun & Lu, Fengbin & Wei, Yunjie, 2021. "Capture the contagion network of bitcoin – Evidence from pre and mid COVID-19," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    9. Melki, Abir & Nefzi, Nourhaine, 2022. "Tracking safe haven properties of cryptocurrencies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A smooth transition approach," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PA).
    10. Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Hassan, M. Kabir & Rashid, Md. Mamunur & Alhenawi, Yasser, 2021. "Are safe haven assets really safe during the 2008 global financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    11. Syuhada, Khreshna & Hakim, Arief & Suprijanto, Djoko & Muchtadi-Alamsyah, Intan & Arbi, Lukman, 2022. "Is Tether a safe haven of safe haven amid COVID-19? An assessment against Bitcoin and oil using improved measures of risk," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    12. Yue, Yao & Li, Xuerong & Zhang, Dingxuan & Wang, Shouyang, 2021. "How cryptocurrency affects economy? A network analysis using bibliometric methods," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    13. Ştefan Cristian Gherghina & Liliana Nicoleta Simionescu, 2023. "Exploring the asymmetric effect of COVID-19 pandemic news on the cryptocurrency market: evidence from nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag approach and frequency domain causality," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-58, December.
    14. Raheem, Ibrahim D., 2021. "COVID-19 pandemic and the safe haven property of Bitcoin," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 370-375.
    15. Wasiuzzaman, Shaista & Haji Abdul Rahman, Hajah Siti Wardah, 2021. "Performance of gold-backed cryptocurrencies during the COVID-19 crisis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    16. Kaczmarek, Tomasz & Będowska-Sójka, Barbara & Grobelny, Przemysław & Perez, Katarzyna, 2022. "False Safe Haven Assets: Evidence From the Target Volatility Strategy Based on Recurrent Neural Network," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Mokni, Khaled & Youssef, Manel & Ajmi, Ahdi Noomen, 2022. "COVID-19 pandemic and economic policy uncertainty: The first test on the hedging and safe haven properties of cryptocurrencies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    18. Tarchella, Salma & Khalfaoui, Rabeh & Hammoudeh, Shawkat, 2024. "The safe haven, hedging, and diversification properties of oil, gold, and cryptocurrency for the G7 equity markets: Evidence from the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    19. David Y. Aharon & Zaghum Umar & Xuan Vinh Vo, 2021. "Dynamic spillovers between the term structure of interest rates, bitcoin, and safe-haven currencies," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 1-25, December.
    20. Huang, Yingying & Duan, Kun & Mishra, Tapas, 2021. "Is Bitcoin really more than a diversifier? A pre- and post-COVID-19 analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin; Coronavirus; Pandemic; Google Trends;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G17 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Financial Forecasting and Simulation
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

    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:reveco:v:88:y:2023:i:c:p:1444-1463. 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/inca/620165 .

    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.