Oil price effect on asset pricing of renewable energy firms in India: a panel quantile regression approach

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between oil prices and stock returns of renewable energy firms in India under different market conditions. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the panel quantile framework with Fama–French–Carhart’s (1997) four-factor asset pricing model. All renewable energy firms listed in the National Stock Exchange of India are considered in this study. Three oil prices, such as West Texas Intermediate spot price, Europe Brent oil price and Indian basket oil price, are used in the regression. The analysis is done for the whole sample and its subgroups. Findings In the whole sample, stock returns of renewable energy firms respond positively to oil price changes in extreme market conditions only. In the subgroups of the renewable energy firms, the relationship between stock returns and oil price is positive and more robust in higher quantiles across all subgroup firms. Originality/value The contribution of the study is explained as follows. First, this study helps to explore the relationship between oil and stock returns of the renewable energy sector under different market conditions in the Indian context. Second, existing studies explore the effect of oil prices on stock returns of the renewable energy sector at the industry level, and most of the studies are in developed countries. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in the context of India. Third, this is a firm-level study