How Election Shocks Move Markets: Evidence from Sectoral Stock Prices

This paper examines the effects of U.S. presidential election cycles on sectoral stock markets. Using a high-frequency identification approach, I construct a novel "election shock'' series, which captures exogenous surprises in election probabilities. Aside from election outcomes, the largest shocks are associated with events that are orthogonal to innovations in the macroeconomy, e.g., scandals and debates. These shocks have immediate effects on asset prices in sectors that are differentially impacted by the policy platforms of the two major U.S. political parties. In particular, shocks favoring Republican (Democratic) candidates increase (decrease) the asset prices in the energy and defense sectors, while decreasing (increasing) prices in the clean energy sector. These effects persist overtime.