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Investors' perception of business group membership during an economic crisis : Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

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Abstract

This paper examines how investors perceive business group membership in Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stock price performance analysis reveals evidence of a time-varying and heterogeneous value of affiliation: investors discount business group affiliation during a market collapse, but are willing to pay a premium for affiliation during market recovery. Overall, this pattern is more pronounced for financially weak affiliates and large business groups. The results further show that business group membership alleviates investors' concerns regarding financial flexibility, highlighting the role of internal capital markets as a substitute for external finance.

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  • Ducret, Romain, 2021. "Investors' perception of business group membership during an economic crisis : Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," FSES Working Papers 524, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    • Handle: RePEc:fri:fribow:fribow00524
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    Keywords

    Business groups; financial crisis; COVID-19; internal capital market; Korea;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General

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