The study analyzes thirty stocks from the Dow Jones Industrial Index, focusing on high-to-close and low-to-close price differences. It finds that stocks usually have higher returns following days with significant end-of-day price drops and lower returns after days with end-of-day price rises. These patterns suggest a market correction of overreactions. Based on these findings, the construction of daily-adjusted portfolios shows significantly positive returns, indicating the profitability of trading strategies based on these reversal patterns.
The hypothesis is that the daily return of a stock will be higher if its previous day's high-to-close difference is greater than the low-to-close difference.
These results support the study's hypothesis, demonstrating a pattern of reverting behavior in stock prices following end-of-the-day price moves. Such findings contribute to the existing literature on stock price overreactions and market inefficiencies and suggest potentially profitable opportunities for traders who can capitalize on these predictable reversal patterns.