Do agglomeration economies affect the local comovement of stock returns? Evidence from China
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Urban Studies: An International Journal of Research in Urban Studies
Publication Date
3-2-2016
Volume
Advance online publication
Publisher
Sage Publications Ltd.
Keywords
agglomeration economies, firm value, headquarters, local bias, stock returns
Abstract
Prior studies in finance have examined the comovement of stock returns of firms headquartered in the same location. One interpretation of the results is that local investors have a ‘local bias’ due to an information advantage on local firms. We propose that localised agglomeration economies affect the fundamentals of local firms, resulting in the local comovement of stock returns. Using data for China A-share listed firms from 1997 to 2007, we find evidence of the comovement of stock returns of Chinese firms headquartered in the same city. We find inconsistent evidence for the local bias theory. The comovement of the stock returns of firms headquartered in the same city is stronger when the agglomeration economies in the city are stronger, suggesting that localised agglomeration economies provide an alternative explanation of the comovement of stock returns.
DOI
10.1177/0042098016633101
Print ISSN
00420980
E-ISSN
1360063X
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2016, © SAGE Publications. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Firth, M., Fu, S., & Shan, L. (2016). Do agglomeration economies affect the local comovement of stock returns? Evidence from China. Urban Studies. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0042098016633101