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From boom 'til bust: How loss aversion affects asset prices

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  • Berkelaar, Arjan
  • Kouwenberg, Roy

Abstract

This article studies the impact of heterogeneous loss averse investors on asset prices. In very good states loss averse investors become gradually less risk averse as wealth rises above their reference point, pushing up equity prices. When wealth drops below the reference point the investors become risk seeking and demand for stocks increases drastically, eventually leading to a forced sell-off and stock market bust in bad states. Heterogeneity in reference points and initial wealth of the loss averse investors does not change the salient features of the equilibrium price process, such as a relatively high equity premium, high volatility and counter-cyclical changes in the equity premium.

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  • Berkelaar, Arjan & Kouwenberg, Roy, 2009. "From boom 'til bust: How loss aversion affects asset prices," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1005-1013, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:33:y:2009:i:6:p:1005-1013
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    6. Constantin Mellios & Anh Ngoc Lai, 2022. "Incentive Fees with a Moving Benchmark and Portfolio Selection under Loss Aversion," Post-Print hal-03708926, HAL.
    7. Ulrich Schmidt & Horst Zank, 2005. "What is Loss Aversion?," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 157-167, January.
    8. Liu, Shuangzhe & Ma, Tiefeng & Polasek, Wolfgang, 2014. "Spatial system estimators for panel models: A sensitivity and simulation study," Mathematics and Computers in Simulation (MATCOM), Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 78-102.
    9. Fortin, Ines & Hlouskova, Jaroslava, 2011. "Optimal asset allocation under linear loss aversion," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 2974-2990, November.
    10. Stephen Satchell & Wei Xia, 2005. "Estimation of the Risk Attitude of the Representative UK Pension Fund Investor," Birkbeck Working Papers in Economics and Finance 0509, Birkbeck, Department of Economics, Mathematics & Statistics.
    11. Yan Li & Liyan Yang, 2013. "Asset-Pricing Implications of Dividend Volatility," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(9), pages 2036-2055, September.
    12. Yao, Jing & Li, Duan, 2013. "Prospect theory and trading patterns," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 2793-2805.
    13. SATISH KUMAR & Nisha Goyal, 2019. "Exploring Behavioural Biases among Indian Investors: A Qualitative Inquiry," Proceedings of International Academic Conferences 9010790, International Institute of Social and Economic Sciences.
    14. Erick Rengifo & Emanuela Trifan, 2008. "How Investors Face Financial Risk Loss Aversion and Wealth Allocation," Fordham Economics Discussion Paper Series dp2008-01, Fordham University, Department of Economics.
    15. Arjen Siegmann & André Lucas, 2002. "Explaining Hedge Fund Investment Styles by Loss Aversion," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 02-046/2, Tinbergen Institute.
    16. Hwang, Soosung & Satchell, Steve E., 2010. "How loss averse are investors in financial markets?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 2425-2438, October.
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    18. Michael Nwogugu, 2020. "Regret Theory And Asset Pricing Anomalies In Incomplete Markets With Dynamic Un-Aggregated Preferences," Papers 2005.01709, arXiv.org.
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