Twitter and cryptocurrency pump-and-dumps

We study the relation between the promotion of a cryptocurrency on Twitter and its return dynamics around pump-and-dump events. By analyzing abnormal returns, trading volume, and tweet activity, we uncover that Twitter effectively garners attention for pump-and-dump schemes, leading to notable effects on abnormal returns before the event. Our results indicate that investors relying on Twitter information exhibit delayed selling behavior during the post-dump phase, resulting in significant losses compared to other participants. We also find that, while tweets directly promoting pump schemes align with anticipated market phases, a noteworthy portion of indirect, non-pump-aware tweets significantly influence market movements pre-event. •We study cryptocurrency promotion on Twitter and returns around pump-and-dump events.•Twitter garners attention for pump-and-dump, leading to notable effects on returns.•Investors using Twitter show delayed selling post-dump, leading to greater losses.•We find evidence that both direct and indirect promotion leads to market reaction.