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Information and the Equity Premium

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Abstract

We consider the effect of information on the average risk-free rate and the average equity premium in a standard two-period exchange economy with complete markets and a representative agent. We show that information always increases the average risk-free rate. Clearly, perfect information eliminates the equity premium; moreover, we show that a particular kind of information about the level of the return to equity always decreases the average equity premium. Surprisingly, however, information must sometimes raise the premium, no matter what the preferences of the representative agent; and information purely about the volatility of the return always raises the equity premium for a interesting class of preferences. We use these results to illuminate the equity premium and risk-free rate puzzles.

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  • Edward Schlee & Christian Gollier, "undated". "Information and the Equity Premium," Working Papers 2133505, Department of Economics, W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University.
    • Handle: RePEc:asu:wpaper:2133505
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    Cited by:

    1. Kai-Yin Woo & Chulin Mai & Michael McAleer & Wing-Keung Wong, 2020. "Review on Efficiency and Anomalies in Stock Markets," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-51, March.
    2. Tarik Driouchi & Lenos Trigeorgis & Raymond H. Y. So, 2018. "Option implied ambiguity and its information content: Evidence from the subprime crisis," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 262(2), pages 463-491, March.
    3. Bellelah, M.A. & Bellelah, M.O. & Ben Ameur, H. & Ben Hafsia, R., 2017. "Does the equity premium puzzle persist during financial crisis? The case of the French equity market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(PB), pages 851-866.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D8 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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