ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Stock ReturnsSubscribe to Stock Returns

COVID-19-related Uncertainty, Investor Sentiment, and Stock Returns in India

The Indian stock market witnessed a sharp recovery in the post-COVID-19 period owing to the sweeping investor enthusiasm. The event studies show that the 2020 lockdown and announcement of the first fiscal package had a significant impact on the stock returns. The impact of other events like the first COVID-19 case, second fiscal package, beginning of the vaccination drive, and the second wave was insignificant. Our estimates also show a significant impact of investor sentiment on stock returns, except during periods of extreme volatility. Further, the stock returns are positively related to oil price and negatively related to the exchange rate. 

Volatility of Stock Returns

This paper investigates the volatility of stock returns in some Asian emerging markets in terms of the volatility of domestic and external factors. We found that both domestic macroeconomic variables and international variables are found to have explanatory power for stock return volatility. The evidence strongly suggests the presence of a significant contagion effect and integration of capital markets in this region. We also document that the role of government in terms of fiscal and monetary policy in the smooth functioning of the stock market is crucial in this region.

Back to Top