The Analysis of 52‐Week High Investing Strategy Based on Herding Behavior

The present study develops zero‐costing strategies that are based on the 52‐week high and herding behavior. Proximity of the current price to the 52‐week high and the level of herding behavior of individual/institutional investors are the two criteria used to screen stocks. Because herding behavior affects stocks that are associated with value‐related beliefs that investors are reluctant to revise, the level‐of‐herding criterion uses the 52‐week high strategy to improve profits. The present study examines strategy profits in Taiwan, a market in which more than 70% of investors are individuals and where the level of herding among individual investors is higher than that for institutional investors. Empirical results found that profits earned using zero‐costing strategies, identified both using the 52‐week high and herding, were larger than those earned using only the 52‐week high strategy. Furthermore, stocks with values that were far from their 52‐week high made significant and positive profits through buy‐herding and by shorting sell‐herding stocks.