Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2225-8329

Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stock Behaviors of Health Care Sectors in Malaysia

Khairunnisa Ibrahim, Koh King Colin Wong, John Francis Belen, Diana Hii Ing Ling, Abu Hassan Md Isa

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARAFMS/v13-i4/19088

Open access

Human capital development and health improvement are crucial goals for a sustainable and growing economy in every nation. This study's main goal is to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected stock returns for healthcare companies in Malaysia. This study was conducted using a quantitative approach. In this study, secondary data collection is the main source. The sample datum selected in this study is listed healthcare industry companies in Bursa Malaysia. The data of daily stock prices and daily market indices cover the period of six- months prior to announcement and within a year, 2020, and the sampling frame of the research is taken the from Yahoo Finance Database Healthcare sectors are expected to have different impacts by the event according to different providers. Firms belonging to healthcare equipment and services are affected more compared to other healthcare providers. Although many countries have adopted similar measures to control the spread of the epidemic, these countries also have paid for the painful economic stagnation or retrogression. Once the first wave came, the panic spread quickly to the whole market investors behaved irrationally and the price fell drastically. However, the first wave effect gradually returned to normal in the following wave. The sample companies have more experience in responding to the waves and stabilizing the prices and investors reacted differently regarding the news of the second wave.

Ashraf, B. N. (2020). Stock markets’ reaction to COVID-19: Cases or fatalities? Research in International Business and Finance, 54, 101249.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2020.101249
Aravind, M., & Manojkrishnan, C. G. (2020). COVID 19: Effect on leading pharmaceutical
stocks listed with NSE. International Journal on Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11(SPL1):31-36. https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v11iSPL1.2014
ASEAN Briefing. (2021). Malaysia’s Healthcare Sector: A Rising Giant in
ASEAN. ASEAN Business News. https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/malaysias-healthcare-sector-a-rising-giant-in-asean/
Bursa healthcare gauge top gainer on pandemic concerns. (2021). The Edge Markets. https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/health-care-gauge-most-covid19-drives-pharmaceutical-glove-share-gain
Davis, S. J., Hansen, S., and Seminario, C. (2020). Firm-Level Risk Exposures and Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19. NBER Working Paper 27867.
HealthAnalytics. (2020). Second Wave: Malaysia battles new challenges. Health Analytics Asia. https://www.ha-asia.com/second-wave-malaysia-battles-new-challenges/
Fama, E. F. (1991). Efficient Capital Markets: II. Wiley Online Library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1991.tb04636.x https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1991.tb04636.x
Li, M., Zhang, X. X., and Zhao, J. Z. (2020). The active fiscal policy trend and the finance-taxation system reform in China after the epidemic. Management World 4:26–34. https://doi.org/10.19744/j.cnki.11-1235/f.2020.0050.
Liu, H., Manzoor, A., Wang, C., Zhang, L., Manzoor, Z. (2020). The COVID-19 outbreak and affected countries stock markets response. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 1–19.
Mohammed, A. A., Hussin, B. M., & Ying, T. C. (2010). Semi-strong form efficiency: Market reaction to dividend and earnings announcements in Malaysian Stock Exchange. Research Gate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228122538_SemiStrong_Form_Efficiency_Market_Reaction_to_Dividend_and_Earnings_Announcements_in_Malaysian_Stock_Exchange
Mahmood, S., Irfan, M., Iqbal, S., Kamran, M., & Ijaz, A. (2014). Impact of political events on stock market: Evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Asian Business Strategy, 4(12), 163-174.
Nippani, S., & Washer, K. M. (2004). SARS: a non-event for affected countries’ stock market? Applied Financial Economics, 14(15), 1105-1110.
https://doi.org/10.1080/0960310042000310579
Ozili, P., & Arun, T. (2020). Spillover of COVID-19: Impact on the Global Economy, SSRN Electronic Journal. DOI: doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3562570
Sansa, N. A. (2020). The Impact of the COVID-19 on the Financial Markets: Evidence from China and USA. SSRN Electronic Journal. Published.
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3567901
Siu, A., & Wong, Y. C. R. (2004). Economic Impact of SARS: The Case of Hongkong. Asian Economic Papers, 3(1), 62-83. https://doi.org/10.1162/1535351041747996
The World Bank. (2020). The Global Economic Outlook During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Changed World. Retrieved from
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/06/08/the-global-economic-outlook-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-a-changed-world
World Health Organization. (2021). Coronavirus. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1
Worldometer. (2021). Coronavirus. Retrieved from
https://worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/malaysia/
Wang, Y.-H., Yang, F.-J., & Chen, L.-J. (2013). An investor’s perspective on infectious Diseases and their influence on market behavior. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 14(1), S112-S127. https://doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2012.71136
Yang, Z. H., Chen, Y. T., and Zhang, P. M. (2020). Macroeconomic shock, financial Risk transmission and governance response to major public emergencies. Management World 5:13–35. https://doi.org/10.19744/j.cnki.11-1235/f.2020.0067.
Al-Awadhi, A. M., Alsaifi, K., Al-Awadhi, A., & Alhammadi, S. (2020). Death and contagious infectious diseases: Impact of the COVID-19 virus on stock market returns. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 27, 100326.
Anh, D. L. T., & Gan, C. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on stock market performance: evidence from Vietnam. Journal of Economic Studies, 48(4), 836-851.
Huo, X., & Qiu, Z. (2020). How does China’s stock market react to the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown?. Economic and Political Studies, 8(4), 436-461.
Khan, K., Zhao, H., Zhang, H., Yang, H., Shah, M. H., & Jahanger, A. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on stock markets: An empirical analysis of world major stock indices. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(7), 463-474.
Mishra, P. K., & Mishra, S. K. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic and stock market reaction: empirical insights from 15 Asian countries. Transnational Corporations Review, 13(2), 139-155.
Mittal, S., & Sharma, D. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 on stock returns of the Indian healthcare and pharmaceutical sector. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 15(1), 5-21.
Naseem, S., Mohsin, M., Hui, W., Liyan, G., & Penglai, K. (2021). The investor psychology and stock market behavior during the initial era of COVID-19: a study of China, Japan, and the United States. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 626934.
Phuong, L. C. M. (2021). How COVID-19 affects the share price of Vietnam's pharmaceutical industry: Event study method. Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 8(4), 250.
Ramelli, S., & Wagner, A. F. (2020). Feverish stock price reactions to COVID-19. The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, 9(3), 622-655.
Singh, B., Dhall, R., Narang, S., & Rawat, S. (2020). The Outbreak of COVID-19 and Stock Market Responses: An Event Study and Panel Data Analysis for G-20 Countries. Global Business Review, 1, 26.

(Ibrahim et al., 2023)
Ibrahim, K., King, C. W. K., Belen, J. F., Ling, D. H. I., & Isa, A. H. M. (2023). Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Stock Behaviors of Health Care Sectors in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting Finance and Management Sciences, 13(4), 71–93.