Geographical proximity, cultural familiarity and financial information production

Abstract

This paper examines the distinct impacts of geography and culture on financial information production. Utilizing data from LinkedIn, we categorize Chinese-concept stock analysts into two groups: those working in China and those with a Chinese cultural background. We identify two sources of local advantages: geographical proximity, stemming from the information-access channel, and cultural familiarity, originating from the information-process channel. Additionally, our findings indicate that local advantages reduce stock return synchronicity, and investors can recognize revisions made by geographically proximate analysts.