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How Biased is the Behavior of the Individual Investor in Warrants?

Author

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  • Margarida Abreu

Abstract

Based on the actual trading behavior of individual investors in the Portuguese financial market during almost ten years this paper examines the socio-demographic characteristics of retail investors in warrants, and discusses the hypothesis that some behavioral biases do have an impact on the investors’ predisposition to invest and trade in warrants, a complex financial instrument. One finds that there is a profile of investors in warrants: younger and less educated men are more likely to invest in warrants and that overconfident,disposition-prone and investors exhibiting a gambling attitude are more likely to invest and trade in warrants. Secondly, the gambling motive seems to be a distinguishing characteristic of investors in warrants. In other words, when investors are driven to trade in financial markets for pleasure/fun they tend to trade complex products more and to trade simple and easier to understand financial instruments less. Finally, the higher the intensity of trading the more relevant are the disposition and the gambler’s biases.

Suggested Citation

  • Margarida Abreu, 2017. "How Biased is the Behavior of the Individual Investor in Warrants?," Working Papers REM 2017/07, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
  • Handle: RePEc:ise:remwps:wp0072017
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    File URL: https://rem.rc.iseg.ulisboa.pt/wps/pdf/REM_WP_007_2017.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Margarida Abreu & Victor Mendes, 2018. "Do Individual Investors Trade Differently in Different Markets?," Working Papers REM 2018/26, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    2. Thiago Christiano Silva & Benjamin Miranda Tabak & Idamar Magalhães Ferreira, 2019. "Modeling Investor Behavior Using Machine Learning: Mean-Reversion and Momentum Trading Strategies," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2019, pages 1-14, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Warrants; overconfidence; disposition effect; gambling effect; individual investor behavior;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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