The Stock Performance of Financial Institutions After the Paris Agreement: The Case in China

Abstract

In 2015, the signing of the Paris Agreement marked a new stage in the green transformation of the international economy. This paper aims to study the stock performance of China's listed financial institutions after the signing and implementation of the Paris Agreement and the impact of green investment on the stock performance of China's listed financial institutions during the green transition period. The data sample covers 46 A-share listed financial institutions, of which 24 financial institutions or their subsidiaries have made green investments after 2016. This study uses the event study method (ESM), based on the market model and the Fama-French three-factor model. The empirical results show that listed financial institutions have a positive abnormal stock returns around [-10, 10] after the first official announcement date of the signing of the Paris Agreement. Among them, the stocks of financial institutions that have issued green bonds have significant higher abnormal returns, outperforming those that have not issued green bonds. It reflects the positive attitude of investors towards the green transformation of China's economic market and is helpful for the formulation of green financial policies.