Environmental penalties and commodity market dynamics: Empirical evidence from Chinese listed companies and associated futures price volatility

As ecological civilization and dual carbon goals advance, environmental risk has emerged as a crucial factor influencing corporate performance and financial market stability. This study examines whether and how firm-level environmental penalty events transmit into commodity futures markets, identifying the underlying transmission mechanisms and moderating factors. We manually collect a comprehensive dataset of 982 environmental penalty announcements issued to Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2023, matching these with price data from the most directly linked commodity futures (e.g., industrial metals and agricultural products). The results show that environmental penalties significantly induce negative price reactions and elevate volatility in corresponding commodity futures markets. This effect is particularly pronounced for penalties in pollution-intensive industries. Within 1–3 trading days following a penalty announcement, cumulative abnormal returns of related futures contracts are significantly negative (p