Does asset liquidity matter? Evidence from real estate stock markets

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper in this context is to examine the impact of asset liquidity on real estate equity returns, after taking well-documented systematic risk factors into account. Due to their unique characteristics, real estate equities constitute an inherently low degree of underlying asset liquidity. Design/methodology/approach – Following the Fama-French time-series regression approach, the authors extend the conventional asset pricing model by a real estate-specific asset liquidity factor (ALF), using a sample of 244 real estate equities. Findings – The results, based on monthly data for the period 1999-2012, reveal that asset liquidity is a relevant pricing factor which contributes to explaining return variations in real estate equity markets. Accordingly, investors expect a risk premium from listed real estate companies with a low degree of asset liquidity, which is especially the case for companies facing financial constraints and during economic downturns. Furthermore, an investment...