Deconstructing the Size Effect
June 22, 2012 - Calendar Effects, Size Effect
What calendar and technical factors drive the size effect? In the June 2012 version of his paper entitled “Predictable Dynamics in the Small Stock Premium”, Valeriy Zakamulin explores the interaction of the size effect with the January effect and both prior-month and prior-year stock market returns. He defines the size effect based on the Small-Minus-Big (SMB) factor of the Fama-French three-factor model of stock returns. A positive (negative) value for the effect means that small (big) stocks outperform big (small) stocks. Using market factor and SMB factor returns from the library of Kenneth French and National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) business cycle dates during 1927 through 2011 (85 years), he finds that: Keep Reading