Fear of COVID-19 Effect on Stock Markets. A Proposal for an Algorithmic Trading System Based on Fear

Abstract

This study analyzes the fear of COVID-19 effect on European stock market returns. For this purpose, the search volumes (SV) collected by Google Trends (GT) and Wikipedia were used as proxies of fear of COVID-19. In a sample from 13 European stock markets, fear of COVID-19 was found to be associated with negative European stock returns. Our research employed this observation to propose an algorithmic trading system based on fear of COVID-19. Back-testing results show the possibility of extraordinary returns based on this system. These findings have important implications for political authorities, the mass media, and investors.