Thursday, September 24, 2009

Investors need not lose sleep over daylight saving

Where would we be without research? From PhysOrg:
The changeover to and from daylight saving does not have a detrimental effect on financial markets, according to new research.

While previous studies suggested stock markets weakened on the Monday after daylight saving began or finished, possibly due to the effect on investors' sleep patterns, Massey finance specialists and a Dutch research colleague have produced a paper showing there is no discernable impact.

Associate Professor Russell Gregory-Allen, Professor Ben Jacobsen and Wessel Marquering of Erasmus University in the Netherlands found that sharemarket returns in 22 countries were no different from any other day.

“The results reject earlier conclusions that a change in the mood of investors as a result of changes in sleep patterns significantly affects stock returns," Dr Gregory-Allen says....MORE