The Impact of COVID-19 on the Relation Between Retail Investors’ Trading and Stock Returns in the Chinese Market

Abstract

This paper investigates the relation between retail investors’ flows and returns during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Chinese market using the VAR model. The results show that though the positive feedback trading during the pandemic is weaker than that in the pre-COVID-19 period, the positive feedback trading following negative returns during the crisis is much stronger than that in the pre-COVID-19 period. This implies panic trading.