The Effect of Soccer Performance on Stock Return: Empirical Evidence From “The Big Three Clubs” of Turkish Soccer League

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of soccer performance on the clubs’ stock returns through an empirical analysis applied on Turkish case. The study is based on the data of Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, considered “the big three” in Turkey. The sample period spans the period between 2005 to 2012. Multiple regression models are employed where the effect of performance on the stock return is analyzed by controlling such variables as the market index, the type of the match (i.e., international or derby), the betting odds prior to the match, the venue of the match, the lag between the match date and market opening date and the market index return. The findings show that the soccer performance is significantly and positively related with the stock returns for all the three clubs. The relationship is found stronger in Beşiktaş compared to the other two. JEL classification numbers: G10, L83.