Assessing The Markets Reaction To The Dodd-Frank Act

Abstract

In this paper, we exam how the financial markets reacted to the emergence of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as it developed through the legislative process from policy concept to signed law. We find that investors, on the one hand, desired clarity and sustainable oversight of market activities, but simultaneously feared the possibility of over-burdensome regulation. As the legislative process developed, markets cheered any watering down of perceived over-restrictive provisions with a positive response. We also empirically noted the smaller banks stocks were generally unaffected by the entire emergence of Dodd-Frank, with nearly all of the market reaction (positive and negative) occurring with larger banks stocks.