Additions to S&P 500 Index: not so informative any more

Purpose – There is empirical evidence that a firm's addition to S&P 500 results in significant abnormal returns and an increase in a stock's liquidity. The purpose of this paper is to argue that changes in the information environment after the year 2000 due to the implementation of Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD), decimalization and Sarbanes Oxley Act, should result in reduced abnormal returns in the post-2000 period. Design/methodology/approach – The authors compare the abnormal returns and liquidity changes around the announcement day of firm's addition to S&P 500 in the pre- and post-2000 periods. Univariate and multivariate tests are used to control for factors that research shows affect the abnormal returns around additions to S&P 500. Findings – It is found that the reduction in informational asymmetry in the post-2000 period has resulted in a significant decrease in the abnormal return on the announcement day of additions to S&P 500 index and changes in the stock's liquidity in the post announcement period are now marginal. Originality/value – Existing literature related to changes in the abnormal returns around additions to S&P 500 does not account for changes in the information environment in the two sub periods, pre- and post-2000. The results may have implications for studies related to additions to S&P 500 where the sample period spans over the two sub periods.