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Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 171 2025

Uncertainty and cross-sectional stock returns: Evidence from China

Bruno Deschamps; Tianlun Fei; Ying Jiang; Xiaoquan Liu

University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Abstract

We study the impact of macroeconomic and financial uncertainties on cross-sectional returns in the Chinese stock market. We find that stocks with a lower macroeconomic uncertainty beta generate higher excess returns, implying that macroeconomic uncertainty commands a negative risk premium. Meanwhile, the exposure to financial uncertainty is not priced in stock returns. Unlike financial uncertainty, macroeconomic uncertainty is a state variable that predicts a deterioration in economic activity, suggesting that investors require a premium for holding stocks that correlate negatively with it.

DOI
10.1016/j.jbankfin.2024.107374
Volume
171
Pages
107374
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib

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