Using various empirical measures, we find that, in China, firms with high profitability generate substantially higher future stock returns than those with low profitability. This positive effect of profitability on expected returns is robust to controlling for other firm characteristics and risks. We show that the profitability premium is stronger among firms with low investment friction, which is consistent with the implications of investment-based q-theory asset pricing models. However, the premium is not stronger among firms with high limits to arbitrage, contradicting behavioral mispricing explanations.

Traditional negotiation trading dominates the electronic limit order book (LOB) of the X-Bond platform in the Chinese government bond market. Using a unique dataset, we conduct the first systematic study of the X-Bond’s role. We find that: (1) trades via LOB are notably more cost effective than via negotiation, with cost differences influenced by factors such as trader groups, bond types, trade sizes, and on-/off-the-run status; (2) electronic trading reduces the costs of negotiation trades through increased liquidity, an information channel, and a liquidity’s externality; and (3) due to the absence of an interdealer market, the X-Bond platform primarily serves as a liquidity source of last resort for managing inventory risk.