Concept of Efficient Market Hypothesis

A firm’s intrinsic value refers to the true worth of stock in that firm which is calculated on return data and accurate risks. On the other hand, a firm’s current stock price talks about its market price as a whole as perceived by an

The Efficient-Market Hypothesis (EMH) states that it is impossible to beat the market because stock market efficiency causes existing share prices to always incorporate and reflect all relevant information.

Capital markets provide a function which facilitates the buying and selling of long-term financial securities to increase liquidity and their value, Watson & Head (2013). Hence, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) explains the relationship that exists with the prices of the capital market securities, where no individual can beat the market by regularly buying securities at a lower price than it should be. This means that in order to be an efficient market prices of securities will have to fairly and fully reflect all available information, Fama (1970). Consequently, Watson & Head (2013) believe that market efficiency refers to the speed and quality of how share price adjusts to new information. Nevertheless, the testing of the efficient markets has led to the recognition of three different forms of efficiency in which explains how information available is used within the market. In this essay, the EMH will be analysed; testing of EMH will show that the model does provide strong evidence to explain share behaviour but also anomalies will be discussed that refutes the EMH. Therefore, a judgment will be made to see which structure explains the efficient market and whether there are some implications with the EMH, as a whole.

3. An analysis of stock market conditions including recent returns on stock market indexes and average valuation ratios such as P/E ratios of stock market indexes.

An efficient market is one in which share prices quickly and fully reflect all available information, where investors are rational, and there are no frictions. Investors determine stock prices on the basis of expected cash flows to be received from a stock and the risk involved. Rational investors should use all the information they have available or can reasonably obtain, including both known information and beliefs about the future. In an efficient market there is “no free lunch”: no investment strategy can earn excess risk-adjusted average returns, or average returns greater than are warranted for its risk (Barberis, 2003). Market efficiency is assessed by determining how well

It istaking the company’s stock price and comparing it to its earnings, cash flow, or book value (Nishi &Doering, 2000).

It is believed that Efficient Market Theory is based upon some fallacies and it does not provide strong grounds of whatever that it proposes. More importantly the Efficient Market theory is perceived to be too subjective in its definition and details and because of this it is close to impossible to accommodate this theory into a meaningful and explicit financial model that can actually assist investors in making the investment decisions (Andresso-O’Callaghan, B., 2007).

Efficient capital market “It was generally believed that securities markets were extremely efficient in reflecting information about the stock market as a whole” (Fama 1970). To extent that when there is new information about stock rise, the news was dispersed immediately and it affects the security 's price at that time.

Another concern relates of insider trading of market efficiency of stock market. In his classical study Fama (1970) proposes efficient market Hypothesis, which suggests that stock price reflects all available information (historical price, public and private) in

Even though there are flaws in the CAPM for empirical study, the approach of the linearity of expected return and risk is readily relevant. As Fama & French (2004:20) stated “… Markowitz’s portfolio model … is nevertheless a theoretical tour de force.” It could be seen that the study of this paper may possibly justify Fama & French’s study that stated the CAPM is insufficient in interpreting the expected return with respect to risk. This is due to the failure of considering the other market factors that would affect the stock price.

The efficient market, as one of the pillars of neoclassical finance, asserts that financial markets are efficient on information. The efficient market hypothesis suggests that there is no trading system based on currently available information that could be expected to generate excess risk-adjusted returns consistently as this information is already reflected in current prices. However, EMH has been the most controversial subject of research in the fields of financial economics during the last 40 years. “Behavioural finance, however, is now seriously challenging this premise by arguing that people are clearly not rational” (Ross, (2002)). Behavioral finance uses facts from psychology and other human sciences in order to

““The name of the game, moving money from your clients pocket to your pocket”, Mark stated. “But if you can make your clients money at the same time it’s advantageous to everyone, correct?” “No, Mark replied…Okay, first rule of Wall Street-nobody and I don’t care if you are Warren Buffet or Jimmy Buffet- knows if a stock is going up, down or sideways, least of all stock brokers. But we have to pretend we know.”” (8)

In an efficient market at any point in time the actual price of a security will be a good estimate of its intrinsic value. An efficient-market is defined as a market where there are large numbers of rational, profit-maximizers actively competing, with each trying to predict future market values of individual securities, and where

If a capital market fully and accurately reflects all relevant information when determining the price of the securities, the market is effective and the three characteristics of the effective capital market are efficient operation, efficient price, and efficient distribution(Sascha Kurth,2013). There are three forms of efficiency market, this article will analyze the characteristics of semi-strong effective market and the impact of the abnormal Book-Market-value effect on the effective market hypothesis so that investors should be dialectical view of the market hypothesis and the emergence of abnormal to make the stable investment activities.

Stock market efficiency has been the subject matter of research studies for periods well over the past three decades. Several theories have been established about basically how the competition will drive all information into the prices of securities quickly. Centering this idea the concept known as Efficient Market Hypothesis has been evolved which also has been the subject of intense debate among academics and financial professionals. Efficient Market Hypothesis states that at any given time security prices fully reflect all available information. It is stated that if the markets are efficient and current prices fully reflect all information then buying