Market Reactions to the Introduction of Voluntary Carbon Trading: Evidence From Taiwan
Scottish Journal of Political Economy
Published online on April 20, 2026
Abstract
["Scottish Journal of Political Economy, EarlyView. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThe literature has primarily focused on regulated and compliance‐oriented carbon markets and has rarely explored the effects of voluntary carbon‐rights trading (VCRT) across industries. The present study employs an event‐study approach to examine industry‐level stock‐return responses to Taiwan's announcement of a VCRT policy. The results reveal that market reactions are concentrated in the post‐event window and produce negative abnormal returns for carbon‐intensive and low‐tech industries, while producing positive abnormal returns for high‐tech industries. These patterns suggest that investors reassess firms' exposure to transition risks and opportunities associated with VCRT and highlight the importance of aligning corporate strategies with climate‐related policy signals.\n"]