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Do Professional Traders Exhibit Myopic Loss Aversion? An Experimental Analysis

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Author Info
MICHAEL S. HAIGH
JOHN A. LIST

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Abstract

Two behavioral concepts, loss aversion and mental accounting, have been combined to provide a theoretical explanation of the equity premium puzzle. Recent experimental evidence supports the theory, as students' behavior has been found to be consistent with myopic loss aversion (MLA). Yet, much like certain anomalies in the realm of riskless decision-making, these behavioral tendencies may be attenuated among professionals. Using traders recruited from the CBOT, we do indeed find behavioral differences between professionals and students, but rather than discovering that the anomaly is muted, we find that traders exhibit behavior consistent with MLA to a "greater" extent than students. Copyright 2005 by The American Finance Association.

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File URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2005.00737.x
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Publisher Info
Article provided by American Finance Association in its journal The Journal of Finance.

Volume (Year): 60 (2005)
Issue (Month): 1 (02)
Pages: 523-534
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Handle: RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:60:y:2005:i:1:p:523-534

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Penny Burns, 1985. "Experience and Decision Making: A Comparison of Students and Businessmen in a Simulated Progressive Auction," Framed Field Experiments 0016, The Field Experiments Website.
  2. Theodore W. Schultz, 1962. "Reflections on Investment in Man," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 70, pages 1. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. John A. List, 2004. "Neoclassical Theory Versus Prospect Theory: Evidence from the Marketplace," Framed Field Experiments 0047, The Field Experiments Website. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Mehra, Rajnish & Prescott, Edward C., 1985. "The equity premium: A puzzle," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 145-161, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Kahneman, Daniel & Tversky, Amos, 1979. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 47(2), pages 263-91, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Benartzi, Shlomo & Thaler, Richard H, 1995. "Myopic Loss Aversion and the Equity Premium Puzzle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 110(1), pages 73-92, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Gneezy, Uri & Potters, Jan, 1997. "An Experiment on Risk Taking and Evaluation Periods," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 112(2), pages 631-45, May.
  8. Uri Gneezy & Arie Kapteyn & Jan Potters, 2003. "Evaluation Periods and Asset Prices in a Market Experiment," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(2), pages 821-838, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. John A. List, 2003. "Does Market Experience Eliminate Market Anomalies?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(1), pages 41-71, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Dillenberger, David, 2008. "Preferences for One-Shot Resolution of Uncertainty and Allais-Type Behavior," MPRA Paper 8342, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  2. Ågren, Martin, 2005. "Myopic Loss Aversion, the Equity Premium Puzzle, and GARCH," Working Paper Series 2005:11, Uppsala University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Charles Bellemare & Michaela Krause & Sabine Kröger & Chendi Zhang, 2004. "Myopic Loss Aversion, Information Dissemination, and the Equity Premium Puzzle," Cahiers de recherche 0428, CIRPEE. [Downloadable!]
  4. Erick Rengifo & Emanuela Trifan, 2008. "How Investors Face Financial Risk Loss Aversion and Wealth Allocation," Fordham Economics Discussion Paper Series dp2008-01, Fordham University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Marianne Bertrand & Dean S. Karlan & Sendhil Mullainathan & Eldar Shafir & Jonathan Zinman, 2005. "What's Psychology Worth? A Field Experiment in the Consumer Credit Market," Working Papers 918, Economic Growth Center, Yale University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Uri Gneezy & Kenneth L. Leonard & John A. List, 2008. "Gender Differences in Competition: Evidence from a Matrilineal and a Patriarchal Society," NBER Working Papers 13727, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Glaser, Markus & Langer, Thomas & Reynders, Jens & Weber, Martin, 2005. "Framing Effects in Stock Market Forecasts: The Difference Between Asking for Prices and Asking for Returns," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 05-40, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim.
  8. Ernst Fehr & Jean-Robert Tyran, 2005. "Individual Irrationality and Aggregate Outcomes," Discussion Papers 05-09, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  9. BIAIS, Bruno & WEBER, Martin, 2007. "Hindsight Bias and Investment Performance," IDEI Working Papers 476, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse. [Downloadable!]
  10. Eric J. Johnson & Simon Gächter & Andreas Herrmann, 2006. "Exploring the Nature of Loss Aversion," IZA Discussion Papers 2015, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Menkhoff, Lukas & Schmeling, Maik & Schmidt, Ulrich, 2008. "Are Professional Investors Sophisticated?," Diskussionspapiere der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Hannover dp-397, Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät. [Downloadable!]
  12. José L. B. Fernandes & Juan Ignacio Peña & Benjamin M. Tabak, 2006. "Myopic Loss Aversion and House-Money Effect Overseas: an experimental approach," Working Papers Series 115, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  13. Ernst Fehr & John A. List, 2004. "THE HIDDEN COSTS AND RETURNS OF INCENTIVES — TRUST AND TRUSTWORTHINESS AMONG CEOs," Labor and Demography 0409012, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  14. Hopfensitz, Astrid & Wranik, Tanja, 2008. "Psychological and environmental determinants of myopic loss aversion," MPRA Paper 9305, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  15. Bellemare, C. & Krause, M. & Kroger, S. & Zhang, C., 2004. "Myopic loss aversion : information feedback vs. investment flexibility," Discussion Paper 32, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  16. Erick W. Rengifo & Emanuela Trifan, 2007. "Investors Facing Risk: Loss Aversion and Wealth Allocation Between Risky and Risk-Free Assets," Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics 180, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre (Department of Economics), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Technology). [Downloadable!]
  17. Langer, Thomas & Weber, Martin, 2003. "Does Binding of Feedback Influence Myopic Loss Aversion? An Experimental Analysis," CEPR Discussion Papers 4084, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Glaser, Markus & Langer, Thomas & Weber, Martin, 2005. "Overconfidence of Professionals and Lay Men: Individual Differences Within and Between Tasks?," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 05-25, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
  19. Langer, Thomas & Weber, Martin, 2003. "Does Binding or Feeback Influence Myopic Loss Aversion - An Experimental Analysis," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 03-20, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
  20. Klos, Alexander & Weber, Martin, 2004. "Portfolio Choice in the Presence of Nontradeable Income: An Experimental Analysis," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 04-01, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
  21. Daniel J. Benjamin & Sebastian A. Brown & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2006. "Who is “Behavioral”? Cognitive Ability and Anomalous Preferences," Levine's Working Paper Archive 122247000000001334, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  22. Menkhoff, Lukas & Schmeling, Maik, 2006. "A Prospect-Theoretical Interpretation of Momentum Returns," Diskussionspapiere der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Hannover dp-335, Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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