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How Markets Process Macro News: The Importance of Investor Attention

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Abstract

I provide evidence that investors' attention allocation plays a critical role in how financial markets incorporate macroeconomic news. Using intraday data, I document a sharp increase in the market reaction to Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases during the 2021-2023 inflation surge. Bond yields, market-implied inflation expectations, and other asset prices exhibit significantly stronger responses to CPI surprises, while reactions to other macroeconomic announcements remain largely unchanged. The joint reactions of these asset prices point to an attention-based explanation–an interpretation I corroborate throughout the rest of the paper. Specifically, I construct a measure of CPI investor attention and find that: (1) attention was exceptionally elevated around CPI announcements during the inflation surge, and (2) higher pre-announcement attention robustly leads to stronger market reactions. Studying investor attention in the context of Employment Report releases and Federal Reserve announcements, I document a similar importance of attention allocation for market reactions. Lastly, I find that markets tend to overreact to announcements that attract high levels of attention.

Suggested Citation

  • Niklas Kroner, 2025. "How Markets Process Macro News: The Importance of Investor Attention," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2025-022, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-22
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    File URL: https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/files/2025022pap.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cai, Zongwu, 2007. "Trending time-varying coefficient time series models with serially correlated errors," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 163-188, January.
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    3. Xiangjin B. Chen & Jiti Gao & Degui Li & Param Silvapulle, 2018. "Nonparametric Estimation and Forecasting for Time-Varying Coefficient Realized Volatility Models," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 88-100, January.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Macroeconomic News Announcements; Investor Attention; Financial Markets; Inflation; Federal Reserve; High-frequency event study;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E71 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on the Macro Economy
    • 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
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets

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