May 20, 2020 - Economy & Business

Some retail traders are taking cues from TV ads

New research shows retail investors are also moved to make stock purchases by ads they see on TV.

What it means: In a new paper, researchers at Cornell and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology find a "predictable, recurring, and robust pattern between investor exposure to television commercials and subsequent retail stock trading."

And the impact of TV ads on stock prices is "more far reaching than previously believed."

Details: "Within 15 minutes of seeing an ad for a firm’s product or service, investors begin searching for financial information on that firm’s stock."

"This surge of attention leads to a higher trading volume of the advertiser’s stock the following day — and contributes to a temporary rise in the stock price of that firm."

The bottom line: "We found that each dollar spent on advertising translated to roughly 40 cents of additional trading volume in the advertiser’s stock."

Go deeper: The phenomenon of the television ad as investment tip

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