Market Reaction to ESG Information Disclosure A Case Study of Midea Group

Abstract: As global environmental issues become increasingly severe, investors are paying more attention to corporate sustainability. They realize that focusing solely on financial performance is insufficient; a company's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance must also be considered. In China, with the goal of carbon neutrality highlighting the importance of ESG, concepts such as ESG investment, reporting, and rating are flourishing. Corporate ESG actions are becoming a new focal point for investors. This paper takes the ESG information disclosure of Midea Group as a case study, using an event study model to explore the stability of the companys stock price and the variation in its returns during the event window, thus analyzing the market's short-term reaction to ESG information. The study finds that the ESG reports issued by Midea Group have a positive impact on the stock market to some extent, significantly reducing stock price volatility and inducing a positive trend in abnormal returns.