Affiliation:
1. Department of Finance Robert Morris University Moon Township Pennsylvania USA
2. Department of Finance The University of Memphis Memphis Tennessee USA
3. Department of Finance Florida International University Miami Florida USA
Abstract
AbstractWe evaluate the role of short sale bans in muting the price response to negative earnings surprises for stocks cross‐listed in foreign unbanned markets. We update the global timeline of short sale restrictions up to the COVID‐19 crisis. Given low dispersion of beliefs, we observe that the effects of a stock's home market bans extend to unbanned markets, as manifested in lagged price responses, reduced short interest, and failures to deliver. In contrast, large profit opportunities created by high dispersion of beliefs trigger cross‐border short selling (regulatory arbitrage) and a leading price response in foreign unbanned markets vis‐à‐vis the home market.