Applicability of contrarian strategy in the Bombay stock exchange

Abstract

The application of contrarian strategies in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) are examined in this paper, shedding further light on competing explanations underlying this anomaly. Three specific issues are investigated using several models. First, can a trader book a profit by employing a contrarian strategy? The test portfolio earned a contrarian profit of 74.40 per cent above the market return. Second, risk differences between Winner and Loser portfolios are found to be an independent phenomenon. Third, the size of the firm appears to play a vital role in explaining the overreaction hypothesis.