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Overconfidence, position size, and the link to performance

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  • Forman, John
  • Horton, Joanne

Abstract

The overconfidence literature employs activity metrics such as account turnover and trade frequency to link misattribution/self-attribution to excess trading. In this paper we argue relative position size is a more meaningful indicator of overconfidence. Using a sample of retail traders, we find that when traders take relatively larger positions they make more impaired trade entry/exit timing decisions. The opposite is seen when they trade more frequently. We also observe that more sophisticated and experienced traders trade relatively smaller positions and exhibit less overconfidence, consistent with these individuals suffering fewer behavioral biases, for which a likely learning effect is observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Forman, John & Horton, Joanne, 2019. "Overconfidence, position size, and the link to performance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 291-309.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:empfin:v:53:y:2019:i:c:p:291-309
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jempfin.2019.08.001
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Overconfidence; Retail trading; Self-attribution;
    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
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

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