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Boys will still be boys: Gender differences in trading activity are not due to differences in (over)confidence

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  • Cueva, Carlos
  • Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Iñigo
  • Ponti, Giovanni
  • Tomás, Josefa

Abstract

The fact that men trade more than women in financial markets has been attributed to men's overconfidence. However, evidence supporting this view is only indirect. We directly test this conjecture experimentally, by measuring confidence using monetary incentives before participants trade in a simulated market. We find that men are more confident than women in our trading task. Men also trade more, and they hold larger and less diversified portfolios than women. However, we do not find that differences in confidence explain any portion of the gender gap in trading activity. We explore alternative candidate channels such as risk aversion, financial literacy or competitiveness but find that these factors are also unlikely to play a role.

Suggested Citation

  • Cueva, Carlos & Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Iñigo & Ponti, Giovanni & Tomás, Josefa, 2019. "Boys will still be boys: Gender differences in trading activity are not due to differences in (over)confidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 100-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:160:y:2019:i:c:p:100-120
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2019.02.027
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Chen, Zhanhui & Huang, Xiaoran & Zhang, Lei, 2022. "Local gender imbalance and corporate risk-taking," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 650-672.
    3. Stoian, Andreea & Vintila, Nicoleta & Iorgulescu, Filip & Cepoi, Cosmin Octavian & Dina Manolache, Aurora, 2021. "How Risk Aversion and Financial Literacy Shape Young Adults’ Investment Preferences," MPRA Paper 109755, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Eiji Yamamura, 2021. "The Effect of Providing Peer Information on Evaluation for Gender Equalized and ESG Oriented Firms: An Internet Survey Experiment," Papers 2105.12292, arXiv.org.
    5. Neckermann, Jule, 2020. "Over-Confidence Bias in strategischen Entscheidungsprozessen: Entstehung, Konsequenzen und Lösungsansätze [Over-Confidence Bias in Strategic Decision-Making: Antecedents and Consequences]," Junior Management Science (JUMS), Junior Management Science e. V., vol. 5(3), pages 392-409.
    6. Baeckström, Ylva & Tosun, Onur Kemal & Riefler, Raul, 2024. "Wealth as a moderating effect on gender differences in portfolio holdings," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    7. Philomena Bacon & Anna Conte & Peter G. Moffatt, 2021. "L'analisi dell'attitudine al rischio tra i membri della famiglia. (The analysis of risk attitude amongst family members)," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 74(294), pages 137-147.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Overconfidence; Trade volume; Gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets

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