Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T13:48:56.078Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Size and Earnings/Price Ratio Anomalies: One Effect or Two?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

Abstract

Studies of size and earnings/price ratio effects together have produced contradictory results. Does one effect subsume the other or are there two separate effects? This paper demonstrates that equity returns are related to both size and earnings/price ratio as well as the month of January. Reinganum [20] and Basu [4] are reexamined to find the reasons for their contradictory results. Reinganum's finding that size subsumes earnings/price ratio is caused by a fortuitous choice of methods. Basu's finding that earnings/price ratio subsumes size appears to be sample-specific.

This paper examines the implied standard deviation (ISD) estimated from transactions data on options, using the Black-Scholes pricing model. It was found that the distribution of the ISD is symmetric, though not normal. Also, the ISD based on the last daily observation deviates significantly from the daily average ISD. It is suggested that the daily average is a more reliable estimate of the standard deviation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © School of Business Administration, University of Washington 1984

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1]Ball, R.Anomalies in Relationships between Securities' Yields and Yield-Surrogates.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 6 (June/September 1978), pp. 103126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2]Banz, R. W.The Relationship between Return and Market Value of Common Stock.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 9 (03 1981), pp. 318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[3]Basu, S.Investment Performance of Common Stocks in Relation to Their Price-Earnings Ratios: A Test of the Efficient Market Hypothesis.” Journal of Finance, Vol. 32 (06 1977), pp. 663682.Google Scholar
[4]Basu, S.The Relationship between Earnings' Yield, Market Value and Return for NYSE Common Stocks: Further Evidence.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 129156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[5]Berges, A.; McConnell, J.; and Schlarbaum, G.. “The Turn-of-the-Year in Canada.” Journal of Finance, Vol. 39 (03 1984), pp. 185192.Google Scholar
[6]Blume, M. E., and Stambaugh, R. F.. “Biases in Computed Returns: An Application to the Size Effect.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (11 1983). pp. 387404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[7]Brown, P.; Keim, D. B.; Kleidon, A. W.; and Marsh, T. A.. “Stock Return Seasonalities and the ‘Tax-Loss Selling’ Hypothesis: Analysis of the Arguments and Australian Evidence.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 105128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[8]Brown, P.; Kleidon, A. W.; and Marsh, T. A.. “New Evidence on the Nature of Size Related Anomalies in Stock Prices.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 3356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[9]Christie, A. A., and Hertzel, M.. “Capital Asset Pricing ‘Anomalies’: Size and Other Correlations.” Working Paper, University of Rochester (1981).Google Scholar
[10]Dimson, E.Risk Measurement when Shares are Subject to Infrequent Trading.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 7 (06 1979), pp. 197226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[11]Fama, E. F., and MacBeth, J.. “Risk, Return and Equilibrium: Empirical Tests.” Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 81 (05/06 1973), pp. 607636.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[12]Gultekin, M. F., and Gultekin, N. B.. “Stock Market Seasonality and the Turn of the Tax Year Effect: International Evidence.” Working Paper, University of Pennsylvania (1982).Google Scholar
[13]Keim, D. B.Dividend Yields and Stock Returns: Implications of Abnormal January Returns.” Working Paper, University of Pennsylvania (1982).Google Scholar
[14]Keim, D. B.Size Related Anomalies and Stock Return Seasonality: Further Empirical Evidence.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983a), pp. 1332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[15]Keim, D. B.The Relation between Day of the Week Effects and Size Effects.” Working Paper, University of Pennsylvania (1983b).Google Scholar
[16]J., Lakonishok, and Shapiro, A. C.. “Partial Diversification as an Explanation of the Small Firm Effect: An Empirical Analysis.” Working Paper, University of Southern California (1982).Google Scholar
[17]Morgan, D. G.; Macbeth, A. L.; and Novak, D. J.. “The Relationship between Equity Value and Abnormal Returns in the Canadian Stock Market.” Working Paper, Queen's University (1982).Google Scholar
[18]Nicholson, F. S.Price-earnings Ratios.” Financial Analysts Journal, Vol. 16 (0708 1960), pp. 4345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[19]Peterson, D. M.Financial Ratios and Investment Results. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath & Co. (1974).Google Scholar
[20]Reinganum, M. R.Misspecification of Capital Asset Pricing: Empirical Anomalies Based on Earnings Yields and Market Values.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 9 (03 1981), pp. 1946.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[21]Reinganum, M. R.The Anomalous Stock Market Behavior of Small Firms in January: Empirical Tests for Tax-Loss Selling Effects.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 80104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[22]Roll, R.Possible Explanation of the Small Firm Effect.” Journal of Finance, Vol. 36 (09 1981), pp. 879888.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[23]Roll, R.Vas ist das? The Turn of the Year Effect and the Return Premium of Small Firms.” Journal of Portfolio Management, Vol. 9 (1982), pp. 1828.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[24]Roll, R.On Computing Mean Returns and the Small Firm Premium.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (11 1983), pp. 371386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[25]Rozeff, M. S., and Kinney, W. R. Jr, “Capital Market Seasonality: The Case of Stock Returns.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 3 (10 1976), pp. 379402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[26]Scheffe, H.The Analysis of Variance. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (1959).Google Scholar
[27]Scholes, M., and Williams, J.. “Estimating Betas from Nonsynchronous Data.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 5 (12 1977), pp. 309327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[28]Schultz, P.Transaction Costs and the Small Firm Effect: A Comment.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 8188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[29]Stoll, H. R., and Whaley, R. E.. “Transaction Costs and the Small Firm Effect.” Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 12 (06 1983), pp. 5780.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[30]Wachtel, S. B.Certain Observations on Seasonal Movements in Stock Prices.” Journal of Business, Vol. 15 (1942), pp. 184193.Google Scholar