The Impact of Public Opinion on Large Global Companies’ Market Valuations: A Markov Switching Model Approach

Abstract

Negative publicity has the potential to hurt the valuation of companies, even large and well-known global corporations. Over the course of the 21st century, Uber, Tesla, Apple, and Samsung each had negative publicity because of specific actions. Earlier research suggested that when such negative media occurs, it could lead to a reduction in the valuation of the company. In this study, the researcher set out to use a Markov switching model to determine whether the same phenomenon of declines in valuation occurred when these companies had negative publicity. The researcher then compared quantitative revenue data and qualitative news data to determine if there was a relationship between the two. The findings of the study showed that these companies did experience declines in valuation as a result of the negative publicity they encountered. In most cases, public revenue statements declined over the same period as a negative news cycle. The findings of the research therefore indicated that when companies encounter negative publicity, they also experience declines in valuation.