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Costly Information Acquisition, Social Networks, and Asset Prices: Experimental Evidence

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  • EDWARD HALIM
  • YOHANES E. RIYANTO
  • NILANJAN ROY

Abstract

We design an experiment to study the implications of information networks for incentives to acquire costly information, market liquidity, investors' earnings, and asset price characteristics in a financial market. Social communication crowds out information production as a result of an agent's temptation to free ride on the signals purchased by her neighbors. Although information exchange among traders increases trading volume, improves liquidity, and enhances the ability of asset prices to reflect the available information in the market, it fails to improve price informativeness. Net earnings and social welfare are higher with information sharing due to reduced acquisition of costly signals.

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  • Edward Halim & Yohanes E. Riyanto & Nilanjan Roy, 2019. "Costly Information Acquisition, Social Networks, and Asset Prices: Experimental Evidence," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(4), pages 1975-2010, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:74:y:2019:i:4:p:1975-2010
    DOI: 10.1111/jofi.12768
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    3. Alba Ruiz-Buforn & Simone Alfarano & Eva Camacho-Cuena & Andrea Morone, 2022. "Single vs. multiple disclosures in an experimental asset market with information acquisition," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(13-15), pages 1513-1539, October.
    4. Halim, Edward & Riyanto, Yohanes E. & Roy, Nilanjan & Wang, Yan, 2022. "The Bright Side of Dark Markets: Experiments," MPRA Paper 111803, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Lou, Youcheng & Yang, Yaqing, 2023. "Information linkages in a financial market with imperfect competition," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    6. Rocco Caferra & Gabriele Tedeschi & Andrea Morone, 2023. "Agents interaction and price dynamics: evidence from the laboratory," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 18(2), pages 251-274, April.
    7. Alfarano, Simone & Banal-Estanol, Albert & Camacho-Cuena, Eva & Iori, Giulia & Kapar, Burcu, 2020. "Centralized vs decentralized markets in the laboratory: The role of connectivity," MPRA Paper 99129, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Farouq Abdulaziz Masoudy, 2018. "Accurate Evaluation of Asset Pricing Under Uncertainty and Ambiguity of Information," Papers 1801.06966, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2018.
    9. Gong, Qingbin & Diao, Xundi, 2023. "The impacts of investor network and herd behavior on market stability: Social learning, network structure, and heterogeneity," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(3), pages 1388-1398.
    10. Simone Alfarano & Albert Banal-Estañol & Eva Camacho & Giulia Iori & Burcu Kapar & Rohit Rahi, 2024. "Centralized vs Decentralized Markets: The Role of Connectivity," Working Papers 1420, Barcelona School of Economics.
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    12. Oliver Rehbein & Simon Rother, 2020. "The Role of Social Networks in Bank Lending," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 033, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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