Divergence of Opinion Surrounding Extreme Events

Abstract

This paper examines the stock market performance of a large sample of new issues (IPOs and SEOs) following an extreme price movement during the first three years after the offering. Strong underperformance follows either a positive or negative (at least +/-15%) one-day return event. This poor performance cannot be explained by the Fama-French four-factor methodology, or by the generally low stock returns of growth firms. Unlike recent issuers, non-issuers report no poor performance following a similar extreme event using the four-factor methodology. The extreme event date shows very high levels of turnover, a measure of divergence of opinion. Finally, there is a strong negative linkage between higher levels of divergence of opinion and subsequent stock performance.