| Abstract: | Ex-dividend day stock price behavior supports a tax clientele effect. This effect is still found after the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Results reflect an effective tax advantage for capital gains taxes payable at realization, versus dividend taxes due quarterly. Evidence also supports short-term trader participation in the ex-day phenomenon when the difference between dividend income and the ex-dividend-day price decrease exceeds transactions costs to trade. Results contradict prior research where a tax clientele effect is not found, but align with this prior research when including a small number of contaminated observations. |
