On the morning of May 28, 2021, with the support of the “Talent Introduction Project of the Central University of Finance and Economics,” our school launched the 16th Seminar of the Department of Financial Engineering and the 336th Biweekly Forum of the School of Finance on the Tencent Meeting platform, inviting Associate Professor Pei Shao from the University of Lethbridge, Canada to give a lecture entitled “Social Capital, Trust, and Intraday Stock Trading: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Kai Wu, Assistant Professor of the Department of Financial Engineering and Deputy Director of the PE Fund Research Center of the Central University of Finance and Economics, presided over the seminar, and more than 50 experts and students from the School of Finance and in and outside CUFE attended the event.

Associate Professor Pei Shao examined whether companies’ social capital and trust played a role in accelerating the recovery of stocks after the COVID-19 outbreak halted the market in March 2020. The study shows that stocks of companies with higher CSR ratings rebounded faster after the suspension than those with lower CSR ratings in improved stock liquidity, stock trading environment, and measures. Thus, Professor Pei Shao’s study provides new evidence that a company’s social capital and trust can protect its stocks from potential liquidity loss and rapid deterioration of the stock trading environment under extreme market conditions.

After the presentation, several faculty members who attended the seminar asked questions and made many suggestions about the report. Associate Professor Pei Shao’s academic writing serves as an essential guide to improve the academic ability of our faculty and students.