Market timing and issue type effects on the performance of Mexican American depository receipts listed on the New York stock exchange

Abstract

This study examines Mexican American depository receipts (ADRs) listed on the New York Stock Exchange to determine their long-term investment performance relative to the S&P 500 Index. The sample is divided to capture effects of issue type (IPO versus SEO) and market timing (bull versus bear markets). Over a 36-month holding period, the data show that Mexican ADRs underperform the S&P 500 Index by nearly 21 per cent. Segmenting the sample, IPOs underperformed the market by nearly 27 per cent, whereas SEOs perform similar to the market. In addition, findings suggest that market timing affects ADR performance. The Mexican ADRs trading through the bull market underperformed by nearly 32 per cent, whereas those listed and trading through the bear market outperformed the S&P 500 by over 27 per cent. © 2009 Palgrave Macmillan.