Climate change risk and green bond pricing

We investigate whether climate change risk is accurately priced in the bond market. Green bonds outperform brown bonds after a climate-related disaster, consistent with investors adjusting their preference towards green assets. We then examine whether the post-disaster reaction is rational or affected by a behavioral bias. Our findings reveal two key patterns supporting the behavioral explanation: first, the impact of disasters on green bond prices is temporary as it fully reabsorbs by the fifth month after the event; second, the effect weakens as disasters become more repetitive. Overall, the evidence indicates that investors overreact in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and this overreaction fades as the event becomes less salient.