International Research Journal of Finance and Economics
ISSN 1450-2887 Issue 99 October, 2012
© EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2012
http://www.internationalresearchjournaloffinanceandeconomics.com
Additional Risk Factors that can be used to Explain more
Anomalies: Evidence from Emerging Market
Mona Al-Mwalla
Associate Professor, Department of Banking & Finance
Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences
Yarmouk University, Irbid-Jordan
E-mail: malmwalla@yu.edu.jo
Kamal A. M. Al-Qudah
Associate Professor, Dean, Faculty of Business and Finance
American University of Madaba
E-mail: k.qudah@aum.edu.jo
Mahmoud Karasneh
Part time Instructor, Department of Banking & Finance
Faculty of Economics & Administrative Sciences
Yarmouk University, Irbid-Jordan
E-mail: Karasneh 87@yahoo.com
Abstract
This study aims to identify additional risk factors that can provide a better
explanation to the variation in stocks’ rate of return. Using monthly data for the period
from July 2002 to June 2010 for a sample of listed companies traded in Amman Stock
Exchange (ASE). This study introduces risk factor, such as Momentum, distress and
leverage to investigate their effect on the explanatory power of the original model that was
introduced by Fama & French three Factor Model, and which has been tested by (Almwalla
and Karasneh
1
) using data from Amman Stock Exchange. The study observes the existence
of the size, value, Momentum, distress and leverage effects in the Jordanian Market.
Adding the Momentum, distress and leverage risk factors did not improve the explanatory
power for the three factor model.
Keywords: Asset Pricing Model, Markets anomalies, Momentum effect, distress effect,
and leverage effect.
1. Introduction
Sharp(1964) introduces the CAPM, as a new way of selecting securities and assets using the
underlying assumption of Markowitz model and the single index model. A according to Sharp, rational
investors are those who set a balance between risk and return and always prefer to be in the safe side,
but if faced by risk, they try to diversify in order to mitigate risk. The main assumption of the CAPM is
that, if all investors use Markowitz framework, they will seek portfolios located in the efficient
frontier.