Shared Analyst Coverage and Connected-Firm Momentum Spillover in China

We provide the first systematic analysis of the stock return lead-lag effect among firms connected through shared analyst coverage in China’s A-share markets. We measure the shared analysts-weighted average returns of connected firms (CF) and show that CF return is a significant positive predictor of future returns of the focal firms in the following one to 12 months. The CF-based long-short portfolio earns an abnormal return of 10% to 12% per year. The effect is robust to controls for the industry and geographic momentum effects. Further evidence shows that the CF momentum spillover effect is stronger when the focal firm shares more analysts with connected firms, is covered by more non-star analysts or analysts with lower levels of education, or is held by more stress-resistant institutional investors. Our findings contribute to the cross-asset momentum literature by documenting a new, strong, and long-lasting momentum spillover effect in the Chinese stock markets