Liquidity provision and informed trading by individual investors

•We find that the net trading of Australian individual investors predicts future stock returns.•The individual trading – future returns relation is driven by individual investors acting as liquidity providers.•The individual trading – future return relation is weaker in the recent period with the dominance of algorithmic trading.•We find evidence of informed trading before earnings announcements, especially for individuals using full-service brokers.

This study examines the relation between individual investor trading and future stock returns in the Australian equity market. We find that the net trading of Australian individual investors is positively related to future returns. We show that this association is driven by individual investors who play the role as liquidity providers. We further document that the proliferation of algorithmic trading in recent years dampens the relation between individual trading and future returns. Finally, we present evidence that the net individual trading prior to earnings announcements predicts post-announcement returns. This prediction, however, is only observed for individual investors using full-service brokers.