Journal of Stock & Forex Trading
Open Access

Abstract

Investor Sentiment and Idiosyncratic Volatility Puzzle: Evidence from the Chinese Stock Market.

Nguyen Cuong and Bhatti M Ishaq

This paper examines the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle and whether investor sentiment influences the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns in the Chinese stock market. The findings indicate the existence of a negative idiosyncratic volatility effect. In addition, the results show that the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and returns significantly depends on investor sentiment. Thus, investor sentiment plays a very important role in reconciling the relation between idiosyncratic volatility and stock returns in the Chinese stock market. This implies that investor sentiment may be one of the major risk factors that should be considered in the Chinese stock market. In terms of predictive ability of investor sentiment, idiosyncratic volatility and market volatility, the findings indicate that idiosyncratic volatility positively predicts future excess market returns in the Chinese stock market.