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Skewness in Stock Returns:Reconciling the Evidence on Firm versus Aggregate Returns

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  • Albuquerque, Rui

Abstract

Aggregate stock market returns display negative skewness. Firm-level stock returns display positive skewness. The large literature that tries to explain the first stylized fact ignores the second. This paper provides a unified theory that reconciles the two facts. I build a stationary asset pricing model of firm announcement events where firm returns display positive skewness. I then show that cross-sectional heterogeneity in firm announcement events can lead to negative skewness in aggregate returns. I provide evidence consistent with the model predictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Albuquerque, Rui, 2010. "Skewness in Stock Returns:Reconciling the Evidence on Firm versus Aggregate Returns," CEPR Discussion Papers 7896, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7896
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Skewness; Market returns; Firm returns; Announcement events; Crosssectional heterogeneity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • 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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