IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v50y2004i3p336-351.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Suckers Are Born but Markets Are Made: Individual Rationality, Arbitrage, and Market Efficiency on an Electronic Futures Market

Author

Listed:
  • Kenneth Oliven

    (Henry B. Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1000)

  • Thomas A. Rietz

    (Henry B. Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1000)

Abstract

The Iowa Electronic Markets are specially designed futures markets that appear to aggregate information efficiently to predict events such as election outcomes. Yet, in theory, perfect information aggregation is impossible. Further, the markets are populated by a nonrepresentative sample of mistake-prone and biased traders. That is, traders are prone to the behavioral anomalies predicted by behavioral finance. How can this be reconciled with market efficiency? Here, we take a first step by analyzing the behavior of two self-selected types of traders. Dramatic differences in mistake rates across traders can help us answer the question. Market-making traders who set prices are less mistake prone and appear to be more rational than price-taking traders. This highlights an important feature of markets: marginal (in this case, market making), not average, traders set prices. This can drive the efficiency of market prices in spite of large numbers of traders who display patently suboptimal behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth Oliven & Thomas A. Rietz, 2004. "Suckers Are Born but Markets Are Made: Individual Rationality, Arbitrage, and Market Efficiency on an Electronic Futures Market," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(3), pages 336-351, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:50:y:2004:i:3:p:336-351
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0191
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0191
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0191?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Grossman, Sanford J & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1980. "On the Impossibility of Informationally Efficient Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(3), pages 393-408, June.
    2. Evnine, Jeremy & Rudd, Andrew, 1985. "Index Options: The Early Evidence," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(3), pages 743-756, July.
    3. Edmond Malinvaud, 1974. "The Allocation of Individual Risks in Large Markets," International Economic Association Series, in: Jacques H. Drèze (ed.), Allocation under Uncertainty: Equilibrium and Optimality, chapter 8, pages 110-125, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Bhattacharya, Mihir, 1983. "Transactions data tests of efficiency of the Chicago board options exchange," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 161-185, August.
    5. repec:bla:jfinan:v:44:y:1989:i:5:p:1289-1311 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Joyce E. Berg & Thomas A. Rietz, 2003. "Prediction Markets as Decision Support Systems," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 79-93, January.
    7. Smith, Vernon L, 1976. "Experimental Economics: Induced Value Theory," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 66(2), pages 274-279, May.
    8. Fama, Eugene F, 1991. "Efficient Capital Markets: II," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(5), pages 1575-1617, December.
    9. Forsythe, Robert & Rietz, Thomas A. & Ross, Thomas W., 1999. "Wishes, expectations and actions: a survey on price formation in election stock markets," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 83-110, May.
    10. Richard A. Followill & Billy P. Helms, 1990. "Put‐call‐futures parity and arbitrage opportunity in the market for options on gold futures contracts," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(4), pages 339-352, August.
    11. Fama, Eugene F, 1970. "Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 25(2), pages 383-417, May.
    12. Kyle, Albert S, 1985. "Continuous Auctions and Insider Trading," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 53(6), pages 1315-1335, November.
    13. Halpern, Paul J & Turnbull, Stuart M, 1985. "Empirical Tests of Boundary Conditions for Toronto Stock Exchange Options," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 40(2), pages 481-500, June.
    14. Whaley, Robert E, 1986. "Valuation of American Futures Options: Theory and Empirical Tests," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 41(1), pages 127-150, March.
    15. Daniel, Kent & Hirshleifer, David & Teoh, Siew Hong, 2002. "Investor psychology in capital markets: evidence and policy implications," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 139-209, January.
    16. Brad M. Barber & Terrance Odean, 2001. "Boys will be Boys: Gender, Overconfidence, and Common Stock Investment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 116(1), pages 261-292.
    17. Forsythe, Robert & Forrest Nelson & George R. Neumann & Jack Wright, 1992. "Anatomy of an Experimental Political Stock Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(5), pages 1142-1161, December.
    18. Kent D. Daniel & David Hirshleifer & Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, 2001. "Overconfidence, Arbitrage, and Equilibrium Asset Pricing," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(3), pages 921-965, June.
    19. Galai, Dan, 1978. "Empirical tests of boundary conditions for CBOE options," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 6(2-3), pages 187-211.
    20. Yaffa Caspi, 1974. "Optimum Allocation of Risk in a Market With Many Traders," International Economic Association Series, in: Jacques H. Drèze (ed.), Allocation under Uncertainty: Equilibrium and Optimality, chapter 6, pages 89-97, Palgrave Macmillan.
    21. Joel S. Sternberg, 1994. "A reexamination of put‐call parity on index futures," Journal of Futures Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(1), pages 79-101, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Glaser, Markus & Nöth, Markus & Weber, Martin, 2003. "Behavioral finance," Papers 03-14, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    2. Carlos A. Ulibarri & Peter C. Anselmo & Karen Hovespian & Jacob Tolk & Ionut Florescu, 2009. "'Noise-trader risk' and Bayesian market making in FX derivatives: rolling loaded dice?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(3), pages 268-279.
    3. Fernando Rubio, 2005. "Eficiencia De Mercado, Administracion De Carteras De Fondos Y Behavioural Finance," Finance 0503028, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 23 Jul 2005.
    4. Stéphane Goutte & David Guerreiro & Bilel Sanhaji & Sophie Saglio & Julien Chevallier, 2019. "International Financial Markets," Post-Print halshs-02183053, HAL.
    5. Martin Spann & Bernd Skiera, 2003. "Internet-Based Virtual Stock Markets for Business Forecasting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 49(10), pages 1310-1326, October.
    6. Lim, Terence & Lo, Andrew W. & Merton, Robert C. & Scholes, Myron S., 2006. "The Derivatives Sourcebook," Foundations and Trends(R) in Finance, now publishers, vol. 1(5–6), pages 365-572, April.
    7. Corgnet, Brice & DeSantis, Mark & Porter, David, 2021. "Information aggregation and the cognitive make-up of market participants," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    8. Daniel, Kent & Hirshleifer, David & Teoh, Siew Hong, 2002. "Investor psychology in capital markets: evidence and policy implications," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 139-209, January.
    9. J. Doyne Farmer, 2002. "Market force, ecology and evolution," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 11(5), pages 895-953, November.
    10. Bondarenko, Oleg & Bossaerts, Peter, 2000. "Expectations and learning in Iowa," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(9), pages 1535-1555, September.
    11. Scruggs, John T., 2007. "Noise trader risk: Evidence from the Siamese twins," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 76-105, February.
    12. Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, 2009. "Optimal financial education," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 1-9, January.
    13. Jovanovic, Franck & Schinckus, Christophe, 2017. "Econophysics and Financial Economics: An Emerging Dialogue," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780190205034.
    14. Jagjeev Dosanjh, 2017. "Exchange Initiatives and Market Efficiency: Evidence from the Australian Securities Exchange," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 1-2017, January-A.
    15. Liu, Hongqi & Peng, Cameron & Wei, Xiong & Wei, Xiong, 2022. "Taming the bias zoo," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 109301, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Robert Shimer & Ivan Werning, 2019. "Efficiency and information transmission in bilateral trading," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 33, pages 154-176, July.
    17. Rácz, Dávid Andor & Huszár, Gergely, 2019. "The Effects of Earnings Surprises in Quarterly Reports on S&P 500 Components," Public Finance Quarterly, Corvinus University of Budapest, vol. 64(2), pages 239-259.
    18. Chordia, Tarun & Roll, Richard & Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar, 2005. "Evidence on the speed of convergence to market efficiency," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 271-292, May.
    19. repec:uts:finphd:34 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Barber, Brad M. & Odean, Terrance, 2013. "The Behavior of Individual Investors," Handbook of the Economics of Finance, in: G.M. Constantinides & M. Harris & R. M. Stulz (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 1533-1570, Elsevier.
    21. Morone, Andrea & Nuzzo, Simone, 2015. "Market Efficiency, Trading Institutions and Information Mirages: evidence from an experimental asset market," MPRA Paper 67448, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:50:y:2004:i:3:p:336-351. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.