Momentum in Imperial Russia
Journal of Financial Economics, Forthcoming
38 Pages Posted: 23 Sep 2015 Last revised: 9 Aug 2018
There are 2 versions of this paper
Momentum in Imperial Russia
Momentum in Imperial Russia
Date Written: August 8, 2018
Abstract
Some of the leading theories of momentum have different empirical predictions that depend on market composition and structure. The institutional theory predicts lower momentum profits in markets with less agency. Behavioral theories predict lower momentum profits in markets with more sophisticated investors. One risk-based theory predicts occasional momentum crashes. In this paper, we use a dataset from a major 19th century equity market to test these predictions. We find no evidence to support the institutional theory due to the lack of delegated management. We exploit a regulatory change in the middle of our sample period to test behavior theories. We find evidence consistent with overreaction theories of momentum. We find no evidence to support a rare disaster theory.
Keywords: Momentum, behavioral finance, capital flows, return predictability
JEL Classification: G12, G14, G23, N2
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation