Political Contributions and Analyst Behavior
Ideology matters: How political conservatism shapes financial forecastsÂ
Key takeaways:
Analysts who donate solely to the Republican Party tend to make more cautious and gradual changes to their earnings forecasts and stock recommendations, reflecting a conservative forecasting style.
Despite their conservative approach, these analysts produce higher quality research that is valued by their employers, institutional investors, and the financial media.
Surprisingly, the stock market reacts less strongly to forecast and recommendation revisions made by these conservative analysts, particularly among firms with a higher proportion of less sophisticated investors.
Analysts' personal traits, revealed through their political donations, have a significant impact on their professional behavior and the way financial markets respond to their research, even after accounting for various firm and analyst characteristics.