Open Access
Sentiment-prone investors and volatility dynamics between spot and futures markets
(Elsevier, 2015) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This paper analyses the role of investor sentiment in the contemporaneous dynamics of spot and futures markets and in volatility spillovers between them. To explore this issue, we analyse spot and futures markets on stock market indexes in different countries: the S&P500 for the US, and a representative set of European indexes (CAC40, DAX30, FTSE100, IBEX35 and Eurostoxx50). Consistent with expectations, we have shown that the correlation is not stable with the level of investor sentiment. More specifically, the correlation between the two markets diminishes significantly during periods of high investor sentiment. Moreover, volatility shocks in either market are also found to have less impact during these periods. These results are compatible with behavioural finance theories suggesting that high investor sentiment leads to an increase in noise trading and a decline in arbitrage activity due to institutional investors’ attempts to limit their risk exposure.
Open Access
Does analyst information influence the cost of debt? Some international evidence
(Elsevier, 2019) Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Suárez Suárez, Nuria; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
We examine the contribution of analyst forecasting accuracy in reducing the average total cost of debt to firms. Our results reinforce the importance of analyst accuracy as a mechanism for reducing information asymmetries in the market, which is important to increase firms' access to available investment funding. A significant level of institutional and bank-held ownership serves as a substitution mechanism which mitigates the capacity of analyst accuracy to reduce information risk. External governance mechanisms also moderate the role played by analyst accuracy in the reduction of the cost of corporate debt. Our empirical findings are robust to different model specifications including the potential effect of the legal origin, to the consideration of an alternative proxy for the total cost of debt, to the inclusion of additional analyst-characteristics and stock-level characteristics.
Open Access
Value of analysts’ consensus recommendations and investor sentiment
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This paper studies the effect of investor sentiment on analysts' consensus recommendations. Our results show that the optimistic bias of analysts in the issuing of recommendations is affected by investor sentiment: the greater the investor sentiment, the more optimistically biased the analysts’ consensus recommendations. This bias is larger in stocks whose characteristics make them hard to value or to arbitrage. We also show that investor sentiment can help in the design of profitable strategies, particularly when taking the short position in portfolios with high sentiment sensitivity stocks.
Open Access
The role of sentiment and stock characteristics in the translation of analysts’ forecasts into recommendations
(Elsevier, 2019) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
The purpose of this paper is to further understanding of the determinants of analysts’ translational effectiveness and, specifically, the role of stock characteristics in the impact of sentiment in the translation of analysts’ forecasts into recommendations. We construct a proxy of intrinsic value of a stock based on that of Ohlson (1995), which incorporates all the information contained in the analysts’ earnings forecasts. Our results show that, although analysts do translate their earnings forecast valuations into recommendations, the effectiveness of this process is reduced by investor sentiment only in highly sentiment-sensitive stocks. This suggests the degree of analyst coverage as a potential conditioner of the observable results in a market. While not totally eliminating this observed effect, the Market Abuse Directive regulation does contribute to reduce the skew between analysts’ earnings forecasts and their recommendations. Finally, analysis of this effect reveals that this kind of skew enables investment strategies yielding positive risk-adjusted returns in highly sentiment-sensitive stocks, during periods of high market sentiment.
Open Access
Complexity is never simple: intangible intensity and analyst accuracy
(SAGE, 2020) Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Suárez Suárez, Nuria; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
We examine the relationship between intangible intensity and the accuracy of analyst forecasts. Using an international sample of 2,200 firms during 2000–2016, we show that analyst accuracy decreases significantly when intangible intensity grows. In exploring the determinants of this effect, we distinguish between firm risk and the risk associated with intangibles. Our results reveal the role of financial reporting quality, ownership structure, and institutional quality in moderating the relationship between intangible intensity and analyst accuracy. Analyst forecast accuracy acts as a channel through which the higher levels of information asymmetry associated with intangible intensity affect the cost of equity. Our results are robust to different intangible intensity measures; mandatory changes in financial reporting standards; the implementation of transparency rules in certain industry sectors; and financial crisis periods. We have devised alternative econometric tools that deal with potential sample selection bias and the dynamics of our empirical model.
Open Access
Is cognitive bias really present in analyst forecasts? The role of investor sentiment
(Elsevier, 2014) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This paper analyses four key markets within the European context. In this context, where the level of analyst coverage is lower than in the US setting, we aim to ascertain whether the origin of optimism in analyst forecasts in these markets is mainly strategic or whether it also contains an element of cognitive bias. Despite the fact that forecast errors lack the explanatory power to account for a significant percentage of the relationship between market sentiment and future stock returns, our new tests based on selection bias (SB1 and SB2), in conjunction with an analysis of abnormal trading volume, confirm the presence of both cognitive bias and strategic behaviour in analyst forecasts. This shows that, although regulation can reduce analyst optimism bias, the benefits are constrained by the fact that optimism bias is partly associated with cognitive bias.
Open Access
El sentimiento del inversor y las rentabilidades de las acciones. El caso español
(AECA, 2013) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
El presente trabajo analiza el efecto del sentimiento en las rentabilidades de los activos del mercado español. Los resultados muestran un efecto significativo del índice de sentimiento local sobre las rentabilidades de los activos del propio mercado, tanto sobre el mercado en su conjunto como en carteras de activos más sensibles por su dificultad de valoración o de arbitraje. También se ha mostrado la existencia de un efecto del sentimiento en dos esferas diferentes, una de ámbito más global y otra de ámbito local independiente de la anterior, probablemente ligada a aspectos institucionales o culturales del mercado. Si bien el primero causa al segundo, no se encuentra evidencia de que el mecanismo de transmisión esté relacionado con la actividad real asociada con los flujos de capitales entre mercados. El análisis del efecto del sentimiento durante la última crisis financiera robustece los resultados. No obstante, el sentimiento global absorbe todo el efecto del sentimiento local lo que deja intuir el carácter global de la crisis actual.
Open Access
The impact of investor sentiment on stock returns in emerging markets. The case of Central European markets
(Taylor & Francis, 2015) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This paper studies the effect of investor sentiment on stock returns in three Central European markets: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. The results show that sentiment is a key variable in the prices of stocks traded on these markets and its impact is stronger here than in more developed European markets. This effect is linked to stock characteristics, particularly those considered to make stocks more prone to the influences of investor sentiment. The evidence shows that the effect is not uniform across countries, since higher levels are found for Poland and the Czech Republic, thus confirming the role of country-specific factors in the impact of investor sentiment on stock prices. The results also confirm that sentiment is a twofold (global and local) phenomenon, in which the global dimension has much greater impact than the local dimension, at least in the markets considered. Finally, the paper has shown that sentiment does not spread, at least to any significant degree, through the movement of capital between markets. This strengthens the argument that sentiment is transmitted through a behavioral mechanism. If this argument proves correct, there is little likelihood of local regulatory action being very effective in limiting the perverse impact of asset bubbles.
Open Access
Investor sentiment effect in stock markets: stock characteristics or country-specific factors?
(Elsevier, 2013) Corredor Casado, María Pilar; Ferrer Zubiate, Elena; Santamaría Aquilué, Rafael; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This paper analyzes the investor sentiment effect in four key European stock markets: France, Germany, Spain and the UK. The findings show that sentiment has a significant influence on returns, varying in intensity across markets. The variation appears to involve both stock characteristics and cross-country cultural or institutional differences. The results also show sensitivity to the choice of sentiment proxy.