Lunar eclipses, analyst sentiment, and earnings forecasts: Evidence from China

Xin Chen

International Review of Economics & Finance, 2021, vol. 76, issue C, 1007-1024

Abstract: This paper examines whether analysts affected by lunar eclipses issue more pessimistic earnings forecasts. After controlling for the characteristics of analysts, climates, and lunar phases, we find that analyst forecasts made after lunar eclipses are more pessimistic than consensus forecasts. This effect is more pronounced when a lunar eclipse is stronger. Further, we find that nighttime cloud coverage reduces analyst pessimism, while network attention, analyst superstition, natural disasters, and pollution increases pessimism after eclipses. Our paper provides new evidence that lunar eclipse-induced mood leads to pessimistic forecasts made by sell-side analysts.

Keywords: Analyst sentiment; Forecast bias; Lunar eclipses (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056021001738
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reveco:v:76:y:2021:i:c:p:1007-1024

DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2021.08.009

Access Statistics for this article

International Review of Economics & Finance is currently edited by H. Beladi and C. Chen

More articles in International Review of Economics & Finance from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().