No abstract

<p>Number of studies show that portfolio of low risk stocks outperform portfolio of high risk stocks as well as the market portfolio over the full market cycle on risk adjusted basis and in some cases, absolute basis as well in some cases. This surprising contradiction to classic finance theory led by CAPM has held its ground over long periods of time, across different markets and different methodological choices. This review paper aims at contributing to the body of knowledge in four ways. One, it highlights and links different strands of literature on low risk anomaly that has evolved over a period of time. Second, it highlights, different methodological choices that have been used. Third, it classifies explanations for persistence of risk anomaly in to economic and behavioral explanations and explanations that try to explain the anomaly away. Fourth, it reviews the state of current research and explores potential but yet underexplored areas of research on risk anomaly.</p>

PurposeSince 2018, there has been a resurgence in initial public offering (IPO) pricing studies. The authors aim to consolidate the knowledge and explore current dynamics, understand knowledge progression, elicit trends, and provide future research directions for IPO pricing research.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a two-stage hybrid review based on 512 high-quality Scopus articles on IPO pricing published over the last decade. The authors deploy bibliometric analysis, and then, based on 61 curated articles, the authors conduct content analysis and offer future research directions.FindingsFour key research streams emerged: information asymmetry, agency problems, legal, regulatory, and social environment, and behavioral finance. Future research may focus on behavioral explanations for IPO underpricing, the role of investor sentiment in IPO pricing, text analytics, machine learning, and big data in alleviating information asymmetry and agency problems. The authors summarize and present content analysis using the classic Theory, Context, Characteristics, Methods (TCCM) framework.Research limitations/implicationsUsing different databases, bibliometric analysis tools, sample period or article screening criteria for the study might give different results. However, the study's major findings are robust to alternative choices.Practical implicationsThis study serves as a ready reckoner for the research scholars, practitioners, regulators, policymakers, and investors interested in understanding the nuances of IPO pricing.Originality/valueThe study sheds light on the most influential documents, authors, and journals, offers an understanding of knowledge structure, identifies and discusses primary research streams and related implications, and provides future research directions.

Purpose Over the past three decades, numerous conceptual and empirical studies have discussed momentum investment strategies’ presence, pervasiveness and persistence. However, science mapping in the field is inadequate. Hence, this study aims to comprehend and explore current dynamics, understand knowledge progression, elicit trends through thematic map analysis, synthesize knowledge structures and provide future research directions in this domain. Design/methodology/approach The study applies bibliometric analysis on 562 Scopus indexed articles from 1986 to 2021. Biblioshiny version 3.1.4, a Web-based application included in Bibiliometrix package developed in R-language (Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017), was used to examine: the most prominent articles, journals, authors, institutions and countries and to understand the thematic evolution and to elicit trends through the synthesis of knowledge structures including conceptual, intellectual and social structures of the field. Findings Motor themes, basic transverse, niche and emerging and declining themes were identified using (Callon, 1991) strategic thematic map. Besides, four major clusters based on a cocitation network of documents were identified: empirical evidence and drivers of momentum returns, theories explaining momentum returns and implications for asset pricing and market efficiency, avoiding momentum crashes and momentum in alternative asset classes, alternative explanations for momentum returns. The study infers that momentum research is becoming multidisciplinary given the dominance of behavioral theories and economic aspects in explaining the persistence of momentum profits and offers future research directions. Research limitations/implications The study deploys bibliometric analysis, appropriate for deriving insights from the vast extant literature. However, a meta-analysis might offer deeper insights into specific dimensions of the research topic. Besides, the study’s findings are based on Scopus indexed articles analyzed using bibilioshiny; the database and software limitations might have affected the findings. Practical implications The study is a ready reckoner for scholars who intend to recognize the evolution of momentum investment strategies, current dynamics and future research direction. The study offers practitioners insights into efficiently designing and deploying momentum investment strategies and ways to avoid momentum crashes. Social implications The study offers insights into the irrational behavior and systematic errors committed by market participants that helps regulators and policymakers to direct investors’ educational efforts to minimize systematic behavioral errors and related adverse financial consequences. Originality/value This comprehensive study on momentum investment strategies evaluates research trends and current dynamics draws a thematic map, knowledge progression in the field and offers future research directions.

No abstract