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Ignorance, Fixed Costs, and the Stock Market Participation Puzzle

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Author Info
Alberto Naudon
Matías Tapia

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Abstract

While the existence of fixed costs in entering asset markets is the leading rationalization of the "participation puzzle" -the fact that most households do not hold stocks, despite the diversification gains and the significant risk-premium involved-, most motivations of these fixed costs are as incompatible with conventional portfolio theory as the non participation itself. Nevertheless, we believe that these motivations are empirically correct, and thus we are forced to explore alternatives to conventional portfolio theory. We find in Choquet expected utility theory a tool that is better equipped to deal with more complex forms of ignorance than expected utility is. Within such model, we are able to express the idea that staying out of the market may be a rational response to the own ignorance. Within a Probit model for the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances, we show suggestive evidence in its favor

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Paper provided by Econometric Society in its series Econometric Society 2004 Latin American Meetings with number 252.

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Date of creation: 11 Aug 2004
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Handle: RePEc:ecm:latm04:252

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Related research
Keywords: non additive beliefs; ambiguity; ignorance; asset market participation.;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing
D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search, Learning, and Information

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  2. Annette Vissing-Jorgensen, 2002. "Limited Asset Market Participation and the Elasticity of Intertemporal Substitution," NBER Working Papers 8896, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Epstein Larry G. & Le Breton Michel, 1993. "Dynamically Consistent Beliefs Must Be Bayesian," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 1-22, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Alon Brav & George M. Constantinides & Christopher C. Geczy, 2002. "Asset Pricing with Heterogeneous Consumers and Limited Participation: Empirical Evidence," NBER Working Papers 8822, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Annette Vissing-Jorgensen, 2002. "Towards an Explanation of Household Portfolio Choice Heterogeneity: Nonfinancial Income and Participation Cost Structures," NBER Working Papers 8884, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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