Is there relationship between air quality and China’s stock market? Evidence from industrial heterogeneity

Abstract

This study investigates the unsymmetrical effect from air quality (AQ) to stock return (SR) in China’s different industries. Depending on quantile-on-quantile (QQ) test, it draws the important results in following aspects. For tourism, iron and steel, and automobile industries, their coefficient values between AQ and SR turn into negative from positive with deteriorating AQ. Conversely, the coefficients in the wind power, hydro power, thermal power, environmental protection, and medical equipment industries turn positive from negative. Some contributions are thus drawn when compared to existing literatures. Government industrial policy is regarded as an important supplement in explaining mechanism from AQ to SR, except investor sentiment. Industrial heterogeneity is seriously treated in this paper due to different industries have different responses to AQ. Besides, the QQ test is able to capture nexus between AQ and SR in specific quantiles through embedding non-parametric estimation into conventional quantile approach. Therefore, investors should avoid biased trading decisions under different air qualities. Meanwhile, government intervention is paid special attention when appearing serious air pollution.