Name complexity, cognitive fluency, and asset prices

Abstract

We document three interesting phenomena in the Chinese stock market related to the complexity of stock tickers: Companies with more complex stock tickers are (1) held by fewer investors; (2) witness a lower turnover; and (3) experience lower returns during post-IPO period. The change-in-change analysis based on ticker-changing events generates consistent results. Such results are strong among companies with a higher level of individual investor ownership and stronger information asymmetry. Our findings confirm and extend Green and Jame (Journal of Financial Economics, 2013, 109:813–834) and support that cognitive fluency and name recognition influence investor behavior and asset prices.