Arbitrage vs. Informed Short Selling: Evidence From Convertible Bond Issuers
55 Pages Posted: 10 Mar 2018 Last revised: 24 Sep 2018
Date Written: September 18, 2018
Abstract
Prior literature examines the effect of either informed or arbitrage short selling on equity markets. We test the relative importance of informed and uninformed short selling around convertible bond issues and earnings announcements for the same firms over the same time period. Convertible arbitrage short selling is associated with temporary price pressure, consistent with downward sloping demand curves. Earnings announcement short selling is consistent with informed traders who anticipate future returns. Firm-specific characteristics related to the cost of short selling similarly affect both informed and arbitrage short selling. Deal-specific characteristics capturing hedging demand also strongly determine convertible arbitrage short selling.
Keywords: Short Selling, Informed Trading, Arbitrage, Convertible Bonds, Earnings Announcements
JEL Classification: G12, G14, G32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation