A further analysis of small firm stock returns
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare recent performance of small firms with that of large firms in developed and emerging stock markets.
Design/methodology/approach
T‐tests as well as Wilcoxon Signed Rank test statistics are utilized to test the differences in returns between stock indices. Additionally, ANOVA and median test statistics were conducted to test differences in size premiums over years. Finally, t‐tests as well as Mann‐Whitney U test statistics were conducted to examine the differences in size premiums by market conditions and January over non‐January months.
Findings
It was found that small firms did not generate significantly different returns than large firms in recent years. More specifically, size premiums were not sensitive to market conditions and were not significantly higher in January over non‐January months. These results indicate stock markets no longer exhibit a size effect or a reverse size effect.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the finance literature by examining the size effect as well as the reverse size effect in developed and emerging stock markets on recent data.
Keywords
Citation
Patel, J.B. (2012), "A further analysis of small firm stock returns", Managerial Finance, Vol. 38 No. 7, pp. 653-659. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074351211233113
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2012, Emerald Group Publishing Limited