Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/323794 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Citation: 
[Journal:] Economic Review: Journal of Economics and Business [ISSN:] 2303-680X [Volume:] 22 [Issue:] 2 [Year:] 2024 [Pages:] 43-60
Publisher: 
University of Tuzla, Faculty of Economics, Tuzla
Abstract: 
This paper examines how investor attention affects the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores and stock returns. ESG performance is measured using Refinitiv's combined ESG scores, and return differences between high- and low-ESG portfolios are analyzed. Google Trends data are also used to assess the role of investor attention. It is found that low-ESG stocks exhibit higher return volatility and market beta, resulting in higher returns compared to high-ESG stocks. The performance gap between high- and low-ESG stocks becomes more pronounced following significant events such as the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased investor attention to ESG further magnifies the underperformance of high-ESG firms. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the pandemic drew investor attention to ESG, contributing substantially to return differences. Specifically, the return difference between the highest- and lowest-ESG portfolios increases by 6.25 percentage points for every 1% increase in abnormal investor attention following the onset of the pandemic. This study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the role of investor attention in the relationship between ESG scores and stock returns.
Subjects: 
ESG
investor attention
stock returns
pandemic
COVID19
JEL: 
G12
Q56
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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