Panel Data Estimation in Finance : Testable Assumptions and Parameter (In)Consistency

We investigate the strict exogeneity assumption, a necessary condition for estimator consistency in many finance panel settings. We outline tests for strict exogeneity in both traditional (non-IV) and IV settings. When we apply these tests in common traditional finance panel regressions, we find that the strict exogeneity assumption is often rejected, suggesting large inference errors. We test for strict exogeneity in specific finance IV panel settings and illustrate the potential for these tests to help confirm, or rule out, the validity of common panel IV estimators. We offer a set of recommendations to address the strict exogeneity issue in finance research