Purpose: This paper uses the event study methodology to analyze the impact of unexpected political event on stocks abnormal returns. The objective is twofold. The first is to reach robust estimates of stocks abnormal returns. The second is to reach robust estimates of the effects of unexpected...

This paper uses a range of structural VARs to show that the response of US stock prices to fiscal shocks changed in 1980. Over the period 1955-1980 an expansionary spending or revenue shock was associated with modestly higher stock prices. After 1980, along with a decline in the fiscal...