Discussion of Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers

Abstract:     
Piotroski [2000] investigates value stocks and examines whether a simple, accounting-based fundamental analysis strategy, when applied to historical data, can further enhance the returns to investing in high book-to-market firms. This discussion of Piotroski [2000] focuses on two main issues. The first issue is general, and questions whether the empirical literature on pricing anomalies can advance our understanding of pricing behavior in the absence of a plausible and rejectable alternative hypothesis to market efficiency. The second issue is more specific, and explores whether the author's analysis of the data provides convincing evidence that a simple accounting-based trading strategy, when applied to high book-to-market firms, generates substantial abnormal returns?

Keywords: Capital markets; Market efficiency; Anomalies; Valuation; Fundamental analysis

JEL Classifications: G14, M41

Working Paper Series