Earnings announcement reactions in bull and bear markets - Insights from OMX Helsinki 25 companies

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School of Business | Bachelor's thesis

Date

2024

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Mcode

Degree programme

Rahoitus

Language

en

Pages

27

Series

Abstract

I use data from companies listed in the OMX Helsinki 25 index between 2008 and 2023 to examine the impact of market phases on reactions to earnings announcements. Employing an event study methodology, I calculate abnormal and cumulative abnormal returns around earnings announcement dates, categorising surprises as positive, neutral, or negative. Comparing these reactions between bull and bear markets, my results show that market phases significantly influence reactions to both negative and positive earnings surprises. However, statistically significant reactions are generally confined to the announcement day and its immediate vicinity. Specifically, negative surprises during bear markets lead to an initial overreaction followed by partial price corrections, whereas reactions in bull markets are more efficient. In contrast, positive surprises during bear markets exhibit underreaction and a post-earnings-announcement drift, while reactions in bull markets remain more efficient. Reactions to neutral earnings surprises do not have significant differences across market phases.

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Thesis advisor

Kokkonen, Joni

Keywords

abnormal returns, bear market, bull market, earnings announcements, market efficiency, event study

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