I examine stock discussions from real-time (synchronous) group chats on Discord and compare them with forum-style (asynchronous) postings on Reddit’s WallStreetBets. Findings suggest that popular stocks on Discord include fewer ”meme” stocks and are more diverse and profitable. A Discord-based long-short strategy outperforms several comparable strategies. Discord-based popularity predicts future trading volume, volatility, and returns, and this effect is stronger for smaller stocks. By contrast, popularity on WallStreetBets or on both platforms correlates with lower returns. Results suggest that academicians and practitioners should consider social interaction settings when evaluating the impact of social media on investment decisions.
We investigate the impact of margin trading and short selling (MTSS) on information asymmetry using data from a unique Chinese pilot program that permits MTSS for a specific list of stocks. We establish a theoretical framework indicating that MTSS enhances the pricing system’s informativeness, leading to reduced information asymmetry. Motivated by this theoretical framework, we design a quasi-experiment to analyze data from 2013 to 2016. We find that indeed MTSS weakens information asymmetry. Furthermore, the reduction of information asymmetry can be attributed to both margin trading and short selling.
We employ a regression discontinuity design to study how a market division experiment affects stock liquidity and firm valuation in an illiquid market. We document that an increase in firm visibility can substantially improve a firm's liquidity (measured by trading immediacy) and increase valuation by 28.4% for thinly traded assets. We also find some evidence that an improved information environment may contribute to enhanced liquidity and valuation.