This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Equity Portfolio Diversification

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
William N. Goetzmann
Alok Kumar

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This study shows that U.S. individual investors hold under-diversified portfolios, where the level of under-diversification is greater among younger, low-income, less-educated, and less-sophisticated investors. The level of under-diversification is also correlated with investment choices that are consistent with over-confidence, trend-following behavior, and local bias. Furthermore, investors who over-weight stocks with higher volatility and higher skewness are less diversified. In contrast, there is little evidence that portfolio size or transaction costs constrains diversification. Under-diversification is costly to most investors, but a small subset of investors under-diversify because of superior information. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rof/rfn005
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by Oxford University Press for European Finance Association in its journal Review of Finance.

Volume (Year): 12 (2008)
Issue (Month): 3 ()
Pages: 433-463
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:12:y:2008:i:3:p:433-463

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK
Fax: 01865 267 985
Email:
Web page: http://rof.oxfordjournals.org/

Order Information:
Web: http://www.oup.co.uk/journals

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

References listed on IDEAS
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. Cohn, Richard A, et al, 1975. "Individual Investor Risk Aversion and Investment Portfolio Composition," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 30(2), pages 605-20, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Huberman, Gur, 2001. "Familiarity Breeds Investment," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 14(3), pages 659-80.
  3. De Bondt, Werner F. M., 1998. "A portrait of the individual investor," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(3-5), pages 831-844, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Uhler, R S & Cragg, John G, 1971. "The Structure of the Asset Portfolios of Households," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(115), pages 341-57, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. John Heaton & Deborah Lucas, 2000. "Portfolio Choice and Asset Prices: The Importance of Entrepreneurial Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(3), pages 1163-1198, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Merton, Robert C, 1987. " A Simple Model of Capital Market Equilibrium with Incomplete Information," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(3), pages 483-510, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Perraudin, William R. M. & Sorensen, Bent E., 2000. "The demand for risky assets: Sample selection and household portfolios," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 117-144, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Blume, Marshall E & Friend, Irwin, 1975. "The Asset Structure of Individual Portfolios and Some Implications for Utility Functions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 30(2), pages 585-603, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

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. Scott Weisbenner & Zoran Ivkovich, 2003. "Local Does as Local Is: Information Content of the Geography of Individual Investors' Common Stock Investments," NBER Working Papers 9685, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Andreas Hackethal & Michael Haliassos & Tullio Jappelli, 2009. "Financial Advisors: A Case of Babysitters?," CFS Working Paper Series 2009/04, Center for Financial Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. William N. Goetzmann & Massimo Massa, 2003. "Disposition Matters: Volume, Volatility and Price Impact of a Behavioral Bias," NBER Working Papers 9499, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Gatfaoui Hayette, 2004. "Idiosyncratic Risk, Systematic Risk and Stochastic Volatility: An Implementation of Merton’s Credit Risk Valuation," Finance 0404004, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  5. William N. Goetzmann & Massimo Massa & Andrei Simonov, 2004. "Portfolio Diversification and City Agglomeration," NBER Working Papers 10343, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Laura Frieder & Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, 2001. "Brand Perceptions and the Market for Common Stock," University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson Graduate School of Management 1016, Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA. [Downloadable!]
  7. Ridhwan, M.M. & Nijkamp, P. & Rietveld, P. & Groot, H.L.F. de, 2008. "Regional development and monetary policy : a review of the role of monetary unions, capital mobility and locational effects," Serie Research Memoranda 0007, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Shaneera Boolell-Gunesh, 2008. "Un portrait de l?investisseur individuel français," Working Papers of LaRGE (Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie) 2008-12, Laboratoire de Recherche en Gestion et Economie, Université de Strasbourg (France). [Downloadable!]
  9. C. James Hueng & Ruey Yau, 2006. "Investor preferences and portfolio selection: is diversification an appropriate strategy?," Quantitative Finance, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 255-271, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Glaser, Markus, 2003. "Online Broker Investors: Demographic Information, Investment Strategy, Portfolio Positions, and Trading Activity," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 03-18, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim & Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
  11. Hayette Gatfaoui, 2004. "Idiosyncratic Risk, Systematic Risk and Stochastic Volatility: An Implementation of Merton's Credit Risk Valuation," Research Paper Series 123, Quantitative Finance Research Centre, University of Technology, Sydney.
  12. Nellie Liang & Scott Weisbenner, 2002. "Investor behavior and the purchase of company stock in 401(k) plans - the importance of plan design," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2002-36, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
  13. Nellie Liang & Scott Weisbenner, 2002. "Investor Behavior and the Purchase of Company Stock in 401(k) Plans - The Importance of Plan Design," NBER Working Papers 9131, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Zoran Ivkovich & Clemens Sialm & Scott Weisbenner, 2004. "Portfolio Concentration and the Performance of Individual Investors," NBER Working Papers 10675, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  15. Rachel A. Campbell & Roman Kräussl, 2006. "Revisiting the Home Bias Puzzle. Downside Equity Risk," CFS Working Paper Series 2006/31, Center for Financial Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? RePEc also has a blog.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-8.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.