Credit scores and the performance of newly-listed stocks: an exploration of the Chinese A-share market

This study assesses the power of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s CreditModel (CM) scores in explaining the short- and long-run performance of newly-listed Chinese firms. A unique feature of the data arises from such scores being outside the public domain during the study period. Focus on such a period avoids the signalling and self-selection biases that inevitably plague studies delving into the relevance of publicly-announced credit ratings. We find that CM scores exhibit positive association with post-listing buy-and-hold stock returns. Even stronger associations emerge when considering fundamental accounting performance, especially over longer-run horizons. In respect of the listing of Chinese A-share firms, we conjecture that greater alignment between secondary market prices and fundamentals would likely have arisen had such scores been in the public domain during the study period.