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Love in the Time of COVID-19: The Resiliency of Environmental and Social Stocks

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  • Albuquerque, Rui
  • Koskinen, Yrjo
  • Yang, Shuai
  • Zhang, Chendi

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown brought about a massive slowdown of the economy and an unparalleled stock market crash. Using U.S. data, this paper explores how firms with high Environmental and Social (ES) ratings fare during the first quarter of 2020 compared to other firms. We show that stocks with high ES ratings have significantly higher returns, lower return volatilities, and higher trading volumes than other stocks. Firms with high ES ratings and high advertising expenditures perform especially well during the crash. This paper highlights the importance of ES policies in making firms more resilient during a time of crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Albuquerque, Rui & Koskinen, Yrjo & Yang, Shuai & Zhang, Chendi, 2020. "Love in the Time of COVID-19: The Resiliency of Environmental and Social Stocks," CEPR Discussion Papers 14661, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:14661
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ESG; Covid-19; Market crash; Stock returns; Volatility; Trading volume; Customer loyalty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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