Carbon emission trading scheme, investors’ attention, and earnings response coefficients

Abstract

This study explores how the introduction of the carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) affects investors’ reactions to corporate earnings surprises. We propose two non-exclusive explanations, namely, the preference-based view and the uncertainty-based view, and suggest that the implementation of ETS may influence the magnitude of investor responses to corporate unexpected earnings. Consistent with the preference-based view, by utilizing China’s introduction of ETS as a quasi-natural experiment, we observe a reduction in the earnings response coefficients (ERCs) following the implementation of ETS. We validate this result by showing that the introduction of ETS prompts investors to focus on corporate carbon risk. Cross-sectional tests find that the effect of ETS on ERCs is more pronounced in firms with higher corporate carbon risk exposure, in firms whose investors exhibit greater environmental awareness, in better-developed carbon pilot markets, and in firms with greater exposure to international capital markets, while this impact is mitigated by firms’ non-financial performance. These findings highlight the importance of environmental regulation and market liberalization in influencing investors’ resource allocation.