KNOWING THE UNKNOWNS – FRESH INSIGHTS FROM AN UNKNOWN STOCK MARKET

The goal of our study is to examine the impact of natural disasters on the South Pacific Stock Exchange. We use daily time-series data for Fiji’s stock market for the period 2000-2019. Our empirical framework is based on three factor regression models, namely the market model, the Fama and French three-factor model, and the Fama and French five-factor model. We find evidence that natural disasters in Fiji reduce abnormal returns in the most relevant five-factor model. Additionally, we provide evidence that different types of natural disasters have heterogeneous effects on Fiji’s stock market. Our findings are further supported by a robustness check.