Stock Liquidity and the Pricing of Earnings: A Comparison of China's Floating and Nonfloating Shares

The reform aimed at converting nonfloating shares to floating shares in China provides a setting in which shares are subject to different levels of liquidity constraints. We show that the severity of these constraints is inversely related to the extent to which earnings information is reflected in share prices. Specifically, before the reform, transfer prices of nonfloating shares reflect much less earnings information than the market prices of floating shares. After the reform, however, transfer prices of nonfloating shares reflect more earnings information, although the weights are still less than those found in market prices. Thus, China's unique setting shows that share liquidity affects the way earnings are priced in stock.