Publication: Culture and Stock Price Clustering: Evidence from The Peoples' Republic of China
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2008
ISSN
0927538X
Published
2008
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Price clustering is the tendency of prices to be observed more frequently at some numbers than others. It results from human bias and from haziness or imprecise beliefs about underlying value. To many Chinese, the number 8 is attractive because it is considered "lucky", while 4 is "unlucky" and to be avoided. We conduct a tightly controlled experiment to determine whether a culturally heuristic number preference exists, by studying trading on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, which historically have been relatively segmented along cultural lines. Our results are extremely clear. For much of our sample period (1994-2002), the prices of A-shares (mostly held by Chinese organisations or individuals) traded on the Shanghai stock exchange were more than twice as likely to end in 8, than 4. Similarly, for A-shares traded on the Shenzhen stock exchange a preference for 8 was found. Preference for 8 on both exchanges was initially very strong, but has weakened somewhat over time. It is observed in opening, high and low as well as closing prices, reinforcing its pervasiveness. Overall, the cultural preference manifest in the prices of A-shares is widespread in both markets and its presence is accentuated once other factors that influence price clustering are taken into account. The preference for 8 was much weaker for B-shares, which largely have been held by foreigners.
Link to Data Set
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Citations
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Strategic Reorientation of the Housing Provident Fund System in the People's Republic of China(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-07)The objective of this report is to respond to the request of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), to assess the Housing Provident Fund (HPF) system, and provide recommendations on its positioning, strategy and future role in the overall housing policy. The report focuses on a strategic review of the HPF system and its strategy, mission, and operational structure, and then analyses the market in which the individual HPFs operate. It provides recommendations on the realignment of the HPF system in view of the changed market conditions. The recommendations encompass the overall policy goal of the HPF system, including regulation and supervision, modifications to the current products offered by the HPFs, and improvements in the operational structure (e.g. organizational set-up, technical capabilities of management and staff, liquidity and risk management). The report concludes by citing international experiences with housing provident systems/credit linked savings systems in order to highlight useful links with the Chinese HPF system.Publication The Impact of Banking Sector Reform in a Transition Economy : Evidence from Kyrgyzstan(2009)We examine the impact of financial sector reform on interest rate levels and spreads using Kyrgyz bank-level data from 1998 to 2005. We find that, in addition to macroeconomic stabilization, structural reforms to the banking sector significantly contributed to lower interest rates. In particular, our results suggest that foreign bank entry and regulatory efforts to increase average bank size were important in reducing deposit rates. In contrast, we find little evidence that banking sector reform or macroeconomic stabilization has impacted interest rate spreads.Publication Debt Overhang in Emerging Europe?(2011-08-01)This paper assesses the extent to which debt overhang poses a constraint to economic activity in Emerging Europe, as the region emerges from the recent financial and economic crisis. At the macroeconomic level, it finds that the external imbalance problem for Emerging Europe has been in most cases more one of flows (high current account deficits in the pre-crisis years) rather than large stocks of external debt. A high reliance on equity funding means that net external debt is far lower than net external liabilities. Domestic balance sheets have expanded quite rapidly but sector liabilities remain relatively low compared with advanced economies. With the important exception of Hungary, public debt levels also remain relatively low in Emerging Europe. At the microeconomic level, the potential for debt overhang in the corporate sector is limited to a few countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Slovenia. Due to the low incidence of household debt, hardly any country, except Estonia, seems to face a threat of debt overhang in the household sector. The strong increase in non-performing loans compared with pre-crisis bank profitability suggests that debt overhang in the banking sector is a threat in Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Georgia, and Albania. Financial integration of Emerging Europe seems to have contributed to the transmission of the crisis to the region. At the same time, this integration is helping the region in managing the crisis by concerted actions of the major players.Publication Financial Sector Assessment Program Update : Republic of Kazakhstan - Investment Opportunities for Pension Funds(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2004-08)The objective of this note is to put forward policy alternatives that could lead to improved management of pension fund assets in Kazakhstan. This note emphasizes prudence in the management of pension assets, given the social and fiscal importance of the pension sector. It also discusses different investment alternatives and development options for the domestic Kazakhstani capital market. The note aims to be realistic and pragmatic, based on the best professional judgment of the author.1 It is concluded that neither the regulators nor industry participants appear to fully appreciate the risks attached to the practice of focusing on short-term and high yield investments, which exposes pensioners to higher reinvestment and issuer risk. The recommendations are summarized in the last section of this note.Publication People's Republic of China Financial Sector Assessment Program(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-03)The Securities Settlement Systems (SSS) in the People's Republic of China (PRC) are organized around three different types of markets, which are the bond market, the corporate securities market, and the futures market. The China Government Depositary and Clearing Corporation Limited (CCDC) is the SSS as well as the central securities depository (CSD) for bonds. The China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (SD and C) is the central counterparty (CCP), SSS, as well as the CSD for all instruments traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE). The four futures exchanges have their own clearing and settlement departments, which offer the function of a CCP. The CCDC, SD and C, and Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), Dalian Commodities Exchange (DCE), and Zhengzhou Commodities Exchange (ZCE) operate important securities and derivatives settlement systems both, due to the large volume and value of transactions and the fact that they support key financial sector markets (interbank bond market, stock exchanges and futures). The assessment of the bonds market-CCDC system against the Recommendations for Securities Settlement Systems (RSSS) concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) thirteen of the 19 recommendations, being one not applicable. The assessment of the stock exchanges-SD and C system against the RSSS concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) seventeen of the 19 recommendations. The assessment of the commodities futures markets-SHFE system against the Recommendations for Central Counterparties (RCCP) concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) eleven of the 15 recommendations, being one not applicable. The present document is the assessment of securities and derivatives settlement systems in the PRC based on the recommendations of the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) for RSSS and the recommendations of CPSS-IOSCO for Central Counterparties (RCCP). The paper is divided into following five parts: the first part gives general information; the second gives information and methodology used for assessment; the third part is securities and derivatives settlement systems infrastructure overview; the fourth part is main findings from the assessment with international standards; and the fifth part gives authorities' response.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
No results found.