Emission rights mortgage and stock price crash risk: evidence from China

Using the emission rights mortgage (ERM) policy in China as an exogenous shock, we employ a difference-in-differences approach to examine how ERM affects stock price crash risk of heavy-polluting firms. We find that the implementation of the ERM policy reduces stock price crash risk. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this effect is stronger for firms with more severe financial constraints, those with lower information disclosure quality, those located in regions with greater local government's environmental concerns, and non-SOEs. Our findings further our understanding of the economic consequences of ERM policy.