Capital market opening, digital transformation and corporate risk-taking ——empirical evidence from Shanghai Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect

Abstract

"Shanghai-Hong Kong stock connect" and "Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect", as important policies for the two-way opening of China's capital market, have positive effects on expanding investment channels for investors and improving market liquidity. Taking Shanghai Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect as a quasi natural experiment, this paper examines the impact of capital market opening on corporate risk-taking and its mechanism by using a multi period DID model. The empirical results show that the Shanghai Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect can reduce corporate risk-taking, and digital transformation plays a positive moderating role between the two; the mechanism analysis finds that the Shanghai Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect reduces corporate risk-taking by increasing analysts' attention, and this indirect impact process is also positively moderated by digital transformation. The heterogeneity test finds that the impact of Shanghai Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect on corporate risk-taking is mainly reflected in the companies with higher product market competition and faster regional marketization process. The above conclusions provide empirical evidence for the effectiveness of the capital market opening policy at micro level, and provide enlightenment for the role of digital transformation in promoting healthy development of the capital market.