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Disagreement about stock valuation, combined with short-sales constraints, can increase asset prices. We build a model showing that, so long as investor beliefs are not perfectly correlated, investors disagree less about the value of a conglomerate than about each of its individual divisions. This generates a conglomerate discount with disagreement and short-sales constraints being complementary in explaining its cross-sectional variation. We test these predictions empirically and find substantial support: conglomerates have lower differences of opinion and lower short-sales constraints than pure-play firms. Furthermore, greater differences of opinion and tighter short-sales constraints are significant predictors of valuation differences between conglomerates and pure plays. This paper was accepted by Karl Diether, finance.

The six short-sales constraints (SSCs) regime changes from 2002 to 2009 in the Taiwan stock market provide “natural social” experiments to examine how different SSC intensities affect price adjustment efficiency and market stability. There are three main findings. Firstly, we derive the theoretical price with put–call parity from seven series index options. Using a “threshold error correction model” (TECM), we find a more efficient price adjustment to new equilibria for upward adjustments than for downward adjustments. The SSCs impede the price adjustment downward, especially during the financial crisis of 2008. Therefore, relaxing the short-sales constraints essentially improves price efficiency. Secondly, our findings also refute the claim that tighter SSCs can help stabilize the market since the tightening of the short-sales restriction leads to increases in both market volatility and downside risk even after controlling the investor fear gauge of the Taiwan volatility index (TVIX). These results hold even when market conditions and liquidity are controlled. Finally, the evidence from our counterfactual policy analysis suggests that tighter constraints help restore market confidence even though prices may fall more sharply without short-sales bans. As a result, policymakers may practically optimize to strike a balance between the benefits of restored emerging market order and the cost of elevated market volatility.

This study investigates the ability for option markets to mitigate short-sale constraints using the natural experiment of the short-sale ban in 2008. Following the SEC’s amendment prior to the second trading day of the ban that clarifies that market makers are exempt from the short sale ban, there was a significant increase in relative put option volume during the remaining 13 days of the ban. Employing the framework of Miller’s ( 1977 ) overvaluation hypothesis, the results suggest that put option trades reduce overpricing to the greatest extent when short-sale constraints are effectively binding and dispersion of investor opinion is large. Together, these results provide evidence that option trades act as substitutes for short selling.

This paper investigates the role of managerial biases in the real effects of limits to arbitrage. In a natural experiment setting with Regulation SHO, we find that the lifting of short sale constraints leads to a significant decrease in CEO confidence for pilot firms, and this result is more pronounced for pilot firms with financial constraints and stronger corporate governance. We further find that the real effects of Regulation SHO documented in the literature are primarily driven by CEOs with low confidence. Diffident CEOs of the pilot firms tend to decrease corporate investments, reduce earnings management, and improve social performance and employee relations following the removal of short sale constraints. Overall, we identify CEO confidence as a behavioral channel through which capital market frictions influence corporate decisions and CEO investments.

We use firm-year observations of Chinese firms between 2003 and 2013 and empirically investigate the association between investor sentiment and stock crash risk with respect to short-sales constraint conditions. In addition, we also evaluate the incremental effect of financial reporting quality on this association and the existence of such an association under market conditions. We find that investor sentiment is positively associated with future stock price crash risk and poorer financial report quality and short-sale constraint will strengthen this association. In consideration of the firm-level fundamental information in stock prices and different market states, we find that lower fundamental information in stock price and bull market state will strengthen the positive association between investor sentiment and future stock price crash risk. Our findings are robust with several robustness checks.

We develop an international capital asset pricing model in the presence of shadow costs of incomplete information and short sales. Our model shows the direct effect of exchange rate risk, information costs and short sales costs on asset prices. At equilibrium, this model gives an explicit expression of two systematic risk premium. The first one is linked to the exchange rate. The second one is related to international market risk. Our model explains in part the well-known home bias equity by market segmentation. This model, which is proposed for the first time in the literature, can be seen as an international version of Wu et al. (Rev Quant Finance Account 7:119–136, 1996) and Merton (J Finance 42:483–511, 1987) models of capital market equilibrium in international markets. Our analysis shows that the dispersion in beliefs increases the market inefficiency, and that short sale constraints can reduce the cost of ignorance and the magnitude of the home bias equity. Our model provides an operational approach in asset pricing to take account of previous important costs.

Purpose: This study investigates the return co-movements associated with investor sentiment shifts in the cross-sections under a setting where market-wide sentiment interacts with short-sale impediments. Design/methodology/approach: This study estimates the return sensitivity to market sentiment changes (sentiment beta) for each characteristic's portfolio by regressing the return of each quintile portfolio and various high-minus-low portfolios on the sentiment changes index. It examines whether these cross-sectionally different return co-movement patterns is more prevalent during good- than bad-sentiment periods by performing the same regression separately for the good- and bad-sentiment periods. Findings: The result shows that the returns of speculative stocks tend to co-move more strongly with sentiment changes than those of stable stocks, in the sense that speculative stocks have higher sentiment betas than stable stocks. The cross-sectional pattern in return co-movements becomes more pronounced during the good-sentiment period but disappears during the bad-sentiment periods. Research limitations/implications: This study elucidates the return co-movement behavior associated with investor sentiment changes under a setting where market-wide sentiment interacts with short-sale impediments. However, analyzing the relationship between the investment sentiment index and the short-selling activities is reserved for future research. Originality/value: The results provide important implications for investment strategies using investor sentiment in practice, and several suggestions for establishing investor protection policies in the highly individual-crowded market. This study will contribute to enhancing the stock market efficiency and price discovery.

We study the impact of short-sale constraints on market prices and liquidity in imperfectly competitive markets in which market makers have market power. In contrast to the existing literature, we show that because competition is imperfect, short-sale constraints decrease bid prices, increase ask prices, and drive up bid-ask spread volatility, with or without information asymmetry. If market makers are risk neutral, then short-sale constraints do not affect ask prices or ask depths. In addition, the impact of short-sale constraints can increase with market transparency. Our main results are unaffected by endogenous information acquisition or reduced information revelation because of short-sale constraints. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.

Purpose This study delves into the nuanced implications of short-sale constraints on stock prices within the context of stock market efficiency. While existing research has explored this relationship, inconsistencies persist in their findings. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive review of literature to elucidate the reasons behind these disparities. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of existing theoretical and empirical studies was conducted following the PRISMA method. The analysis centered on discerning the factors contributing to the divergence in projected stock prices due to these constraints. Key areas explored included assumptions related to expectations homogeneity, revisions, information uncertainty, trading motivations and fluctuations in supply and demand of risky assets. Findings The review uncovered multifaceted reasons for the disparities in findings regarding the influence of short-sale constraints on stock prices. Variations in assumptions related to market expectations, coupled with fluctuations in perceived information uncertainty and trading motivations, were identified as pivotal factors contributing to differing projections. Empirical evidence disparities stemmed from the use of proxies for short-sale constraints, varied sample periods, market structure nuances, regulatory changes and the presence of option trading. Originality/value This study emphasizes the significance of not oversimplifying the impact of short-sale constraints on stock prices. It highlights the need to understand these effects within the broader context of market structure and methodological considerations. By delineating the intricate interplay of factors affecting stock prices under short-sale constraints, this review provides a nuanced perspective, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding in the field.

Qualified Securities for Short-sale Refinancing (QSSR) is a unique trading mechanism that has exogenously increased the supply of loanable securities in Chinese stock markets. Using difference-in-differences (DID) methodology, this paper is the first to investigate whether and to what extent additions to the QSSR eligibility list affect short selling activities and stock price behaviors. The paper finds that stocks added to the QSSR list exhibit better liquidity and less negative skewness in returns than non-QSSR stocks. However, QSSR stocks are more volatile and display a higher frequency of extreme negative returns. In addition, on average, QSSR stocks experience larger negative abnormal returns (ARs) and cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) relative to non-QSSR stocks, and the difference in CARs is positively related to investor heterogeneity. The results indicate that short selling has mixed effects on stock prices. Removing short-sale constraints can improve liquidity and reduce price bubbles, but can also increase return volatility and amplify market crashes.