The impact of government intervention on stock returns: Evidence from Hong Kong

In August 1998, the Hong Kong government, in her effort to restore investors' confidence, purchased shares of the 33 stocks that constitute the Hang Seng Index (HS). We find that the government's action not only reverses the declining trend of the stock market but also reduces the volatility of the market. The main beneficiaries of the action are the shareholders of the stocks that are purchased by the government during the intervention period, and the increase in stock prices persists. Although the shareholders of non-Hang Seng stocks also gain from the intervention, their gain is smaller and does not last.     

Changing Economic Structures and Impacts of Shocks: Evidence from a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Model for China

We present a small‐scale dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model that features price rigidities, habit formation in consumption and costs in capital adjustment. We estimate the key parameters and calibrate the model with data for the Chinese economy. Our interest centres on the impact of technology and monetary policy shocks for different structures of the Chinese economy. In particular, we evaluate how a rebalancing of the economy from investment‐led to consumption‐led growth would affect the economic dynamics after a shock occurs. Our findings suggest that a rebalancing would reduce the volatility of the real economy in the event of a technology shock, which provides support for policies aiming to increase the consumption share in China.     

Determinants of Anti‐Trafficking Policies: Evidence from a New Index

We develop an index measuring the three main dimensions – prosecution, protection, and prevention – of the anti‐trafficking policies of the governments of up to 180 countries over the 2000?2010 period. Overall, developed countries perform better than the rest of the world; compliance with prosecution policy is highest, while governmental efforts to protect victims of human trafficking remain weakest. We employ the new indices to investigate which factors determine anti‐trafficking policies. We find that compliance with anti‐trafficking policies significantly decreases with corruption and is higher in countries that also respect the rights of women. We also find some tentative evidence for spatial dependence in anti‐trafficking policies.     

Extramarital Affairs, Marital Satisfaction, and Divorce: Evidence from Hong Kong

This article provides the first empirical study on how the perceived changes of marital satisfaction affect marital stability using a unique data set obtained in Hong Kong. It is found that the change of marital satisfaction due to extramarital affairs clearly increases the probability of divorce, but it is not the only determinant of marital instability. In particular, the presence of dependent children in a family and good marital quality before the discovery of extramarital affairs would lower the probability of divorce. Moreover, this article generates several interesting policy implications. (JEL D1 , J1 )     

The cohort effect of political change on language speaking: Evidence from Hong Kong

It has been proven that language is a symbol of culture and politics. This study investigates the cohort effect of Hong Kong's handover on the language spoken in adulthood based on the 2006 and 2011 Hong Kong population censuses. We find that Mandarin is more likely to be used by Hong Kong natives who were exposed to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 during their school-age years, especially the generation that were exposed during their primary-school years. This cohort insisted on speaking Mandarin, even when the political environment changed from 2006 to 2011. Our evidence reveals that the political change that occurs during one's school-age years has a long-term impact on an individual's behaviour in adulthood. Further discussion indicates that exposure to political change such as regime transfer during school-age years impacts an individual's national identity.     

Overeducation and Undereducation and their Effect on Earnings: Evidence from Hong Kong, 1986–1996

The expansion of the higher education sector and the structural changes in the Hong Kong economy in the late 1980s raise the issue of the incidence of overeducation in the Hong Kong labor market. Using the 1991 Hong Kong Census, and the 1986 and 1996 Hong Kong By‐census data, the present study finds that the incidence of overeducation in Hong Kong is only a temporary phenomenon. The rate of return to education increased, while the premium to overeducation decreased, between 1986 and 1996. It also finds that there is a tradeoff relation between education and experience.     

沪深港股市动态联动性研究——基于三元VAR-GJR-GARCH-DCC的新证据

随着经济全球化的迅速发展,国际资本市场呈现出一体化趋势,各地证券价格的联动性也日趋显著。本文梳理已有理论文献,并总结经验成果的不足,在此基础上,构建三元VAR-GJR-GARCH-DCC整合分析框架,对沪深港股市联动效应进行了严谨而全面的实证检验。研究结果表明:沪深港三个市场具有联动效应,直接或间接引导对方;沪深股市对港市的新息冲击做出类似的反应,并且它们与港市的动态关联性具有趋同性,该结论为沪深两市合并提供了新证据;三个市场的相关性具有时变的动态特征,"中国因素"与"世界因素"的相关性正趋于增强。上述实证结论对投资者重新认识市场运行机制,合理制定投资策略以及监管当局有效防范国内外股市风险,推进股市整合均具有重要的启示意义。     

Parents,migrant domestic workers and children's speaking of a second language: Evidence from Hong Kong

This paper explores the effects of different language home environments provided by English‐speaking and non‐English‐speaking migrant domestic workers (MDW) on Hong Kong children's ability to speak English. Results show that English‐speaking MDW in working‐mother households increase children's likelihood of speaking English by 12% if the mother in the household does not speak English but by 25% if the mother in the household is capable of speaking English. Non‐English‐speaking MDW, however, are found to have little such effects. Age and education are two qualities of English‐speaking MDW that are significantly associated with improvements in children's English‐speaking ability and their English school subject.     

新兴市场引入卖空机制对股市的冲击效应--来自香港证券市场的经验证据

卖空交易机制作为证券市场中的重要交易制度,对完善市场功能起着不可或缺的作用,那么在新兴市场国家中引入卖空交易机制是否会加剧整个市场的波动?文章利用我国香港股票市场上的数据进行实证检验,发现卖空交易机制对整个市场的影响是一个相当复杂的过程,最终的影响方向(加剧市场波动还是平抑市场波动)取决于市场中卖空交易者类型、操作策略及交易信息的公开程度.如果仅考虑投机性卖空者的操作对整个市场的影响,则卖空交易机制的存在会对整个市场的波动起到"缓冲"作用,在一定程度上会对市场上的暴涨暴跌现象起到平抑作用,而不会加剧整个市场的波动.     

Non‐discriminatory Trade Policies in Panel Structural Gravity Models: Evidence from Monte Carlo Simulations

This paper provides Monte Carlo (MC) simulation evidence on the performance of methods used for identifying the effects of nondiscriminatory trade policy (NDTP) variables in panel structural gravity models. The benchmarked methods include a fixed effect (FE) estimator that utilizes data on intra national trade flows, the bonus‐vetus (BV) and the two‐stage fixed effect (FE‐2S) estimator. The results indicate that only the FE estimates are unbiased and consistent under very general assumptions of the data generating process. The favourable asymptotic properties of the FE estimator unfold as the number of period T increases.     

The market distortion effects of mortgage tightening and transaction taxes: Evidence from Hong Kong residential resale market

By using transaction-level data, we study if two popular policies intended to cool an overheated housing market would serve their intended purposes. We found both mortgage tightening and Special Stamp Duties (SSD) actually led to higher starter home prices in Hong Kong. Mortgage tightening shifted the demand for bigger homes to that for smaller ones. The SSD that applies to resales within a specified period of the original purchase lowered turnover across the housing market. The decline in turnover is, as expected, sharpest for small flats, implying a dramatic shrinkage in second-hand supply of such homes, driving their prices up. We also found transactions bunching as many homes are held till the SSD is no longer applicable, indicating lock-in effects. Relative to those that are not subject to the SSD, the prices of properties subject to the levy are found to be lower by 6.8%.     

Review of Solution and Estimation Methods for Nonlinear Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium Models with the Zero Lower Bound

We review solution and estimation methods for nonlinear dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models and their application, with a special focus on the zero lower bound on the nominal interest rate. In a fully nonlinear setting, both the solution and estimation methods involve iterative procedures, and their computational expense grows rapidly with an increase in the dimensionality of state variables and parameters. We describe how the procedures deal with the dimensionality problem.     

最后贷款人(LLR)制度:香港经验及其启示

本文在对香港金融管理局履行最后贷款人角色和国内近几年地方政府动用公共资源对地方法人类金融机构进行资本救助、财务重组情况进行总结的基础上,研究认为:处置地方法人类金融机构的风险,必须发挥地方政府的积极作用;建立我国基于市场机制作用的真正的LLR制度;更严格地限制异地非金融机构类股东入股地方法人类金融机构;适当扩大外汇储备的运用范围.     

The profitability of momentum trading strategies: Empirical evidence from Hong Kong

This paper investigates whether momentum trading strategies are profitable in the Hong Kong stock market, and examines the sources of such profitability. Momentum portfolios are significantly profitable in the intermediate term in Hong Kong, but the profits become insignificant after risk adjustment by the Chordia and Shivakumar (2001) model. The stock-specific return strategy and factor-related return strategy are analyzed to examine which portion of the total return causes stocks to enter extreme portfolios. The Chordia and Shivakumar factor-related return strategy obtains profits with a magnitude that is close to that which is attained by the total return momentum strategy. Additional evidence further supports the view that the Chordia and Shivakumar model captures momentum profits.     

股票分拆与并股对市场流动性的影响 --来自于香港股票市场的证据

股票分拆与并股这类事件一直迷惑着学者和实际工作者.本文利用香港股票市场的数据,研究分拆与并股对股票的市场流动性的影响.而且还研究了这类事件对股票在市场中的交易活动性的影响,以便将交易活动性与市场流动性联系起来,通过交易活动性的变化来解释造成流动性变化的根本原因.结果表明股票在分拆后流动性增强,而且是由小额交易的活跃引起的;股票在并股后流动性减弱,是由小额交易与大额交易的不活跃共同造成的.     

The Credibility of the PRC Commitment to a Market Economy in Hong Kong: Hypotheses and Evidence

How credible is China's commitment to a market economy in Hong Kong after 1997? Events signaling changes in commitment and the movement of time closer to 1997 should reduce the relative prices of immobile assets if commitment is not fully credible. Several factors may offset these effects: anticipatory adaption, growing dependence on China-related trade, and Chinese investment in Hong Kong. Analysis of data on incorporation and investment decisions, the relative sensitivity of the stock prices of firms with different asset mobility to political events, and the market for office space most strongly support hypotheses about credibility, adaption, and demand augmentation.     

Job Polarization and Task‐Biased Technological Change: Evidence from Sweden, 1975–2005

In this paper, we show that between 1975 and 2005, Sweden exhibited a pattern of job polarization with expansions of the highest‐ and lowest‐paid jobs compared to middle‐wage jobs. The most popular explanation for such a pattern is the hypothesis of task‐biased technological change, where technological progress reduces the demand for routine middle‐wage jobs but increases the demand for non‐routine jobs located at the tails of the job–wage distribution. However, our estimates do not support this explanation for the 1970s and 1980s. Stronger evidence for task‐biased technological change, albeit not conclusive, is found for the 1990s and 2000s. In particular, there is both a statistically and economically significant growth of non‐routine jobs and a decline of routine jobs. However, results for wages are mixed; while task‐biased technological change cannot explain changes in between‐occupation wage differentials, it does have considerable explanatory power for changes in within‐occupation wage differentials.     

Effects of cross-border capital flows on stock returns of dual-listed firms in mainland China and Hong Kong: Evidence from a natural experiment

This study analyses the effects of the Shanghai–Hong Kong Stock Market Connect policy on the price disparity between A-shares and H-shares of dual-listed companies (DLC). Using a difference-in-difference estimation method, we show that the policy decreases the relative twin cumulative abnormal returns of treated DLC by 3% and narrows the price gaps between A-shares and H-shares. We determine that the rising demand for H-shares, which are newly accessible by mainland investors, drives the price of H-shares up. By contrast, the price of A-shares remains unchanged. Further analysis reveals that cross-border capital flow is the main force of the policy.     

CAPM anomalies and the pricing of equity: evidence from the Hong Kong market

Using a sample of equity stocks traded on the Hong Kong stock market, this study examines empirically the independent and joint roles of the more commonly hypothesized variables in explaining cross-sectional variation in average returns over the period from January 1980 to December 1994. Evidence indicates that beta, book leverage, earnings-price ratio and dividend yield are not priced, whereas significant book-to-market equity, market leverage (absorbed by book-to-market equity), size, and share price effects are observed. The findings should prove valuable in portfolio management and corporate financial decisions.     

R&D Policies and Endogenous Growth: A Dynamic General Equilibrium Analysis of the Case for Canada*

This paper utilizes a general equilibrium R&D model of endogenous growth via increasing capital variety to examine the impact of alternative policies on productivity and economic growth. The model is calibrated using data from the Canadian economy. Findings reveal that direct incentives such as subsidies to R&D activities would have the highest productivity impact on the Canadian economy, that an increase in subsidies to the users of R&D capital (output) would have a positive but smaller impact, and trade liberalization would have minimal effects on productivity growth via its impact on international R&D spillovers.