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Information Choice and Amplification of Financial Crises

Author

Listed:
  • Toni Ahnert
  • Ali Kakhbod

Abstract

We propose an amplification mechanism of financial crises based on the information choices of investors. Information acquisition makes investors more likely to act against their prior. Deteriorating public news under an initially strong (weak) prior increases (reduces) the value of private information and induces more (less) information acquisition. Deteriorating public news increases the probability of a crisis, since the initially strong (weak) prior induces no attacks (attacks). This effect is amplified with endogenous information choices. To enhance financial stability, a policy maker affects information acquisition via taxes and subsidies. We derive and discuss testable implications for the magnitude of amplification.

Suggested Citation

  • Toni Ahnert & Ali Kakhbod, 2017. "Information Choice and Amplification of Financial Crises," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(6), pages 2130-2178.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:30:y:2017:i:6:p:2130-2178.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hhw098
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    Cited by:

    1. Toni Ahnert & Christoph Bertsch, 2022. "A Wake-Up Call Theory of Contagion [Asymmetric business cycles: theory and time-series evidence]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(4), pages 829-854.
    2. Schilling, Linda, 2017. "Optimal Forbearance of Bank Resolution," MPRA Paper 112409, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Ahnert, Toni & Martinez-Miera, David, 2021. "Bank Runs, Bank Competition and Opacity," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242348, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Samuel K. Hughes & Joseph B. Nichols, 2025. "No News is Bad News: Monitoring, Risk, and Stale Financial Performance in Commercial Real Estate," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2025-032, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Jasmina Arifovic & Janet Hua Jiang, 2014. "Do Sunspots Matter? Evidence from an Experimental Study of Bank Runs," Staff Working Papers 14-12, Bank of Canada.
    6. Liao, Xiaoye & Szkup, Michal, 2026. "Coordination with sequential information acquisition," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 21(1), January.
    7. Ahnert, Toni & Elamin, Mahmoud, 2020. "Bank runs, portfolio choice, and liquidity provision," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    8. Javier Bianchi & Enrique Mendoza, 2020. "A Fisherian Approach to Financial Crises: Lessons from the Sudden Stops Literature," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 37, pages 254-283, August.
    9. Machado, Caio, 2023. "Managing Overreaction During a Run," MPRA Paper 117896, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 08 Jul 2023.
    10. Rashad Ahmed & Iñaki Aldasoro & Chanelle Duley, 2024. "Public information and stablecoin runs," BIS Working Papers 1164, Bank for International Settlements.
    11. Ahnert, Toni & Georg, Co-Pierre, 2018. "Information contagion and systemic risk," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 159-171.
    12. Linda Schilling, 2018. "Optimal Forbearance of Bank Resolution," Working Papers 2018-15, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    13. Ahnert, Toni & Bertsch, Christoph & Leonello, Agnese & Marquez, Robert, 2024. "Bank fragility and risk management," Working Paper Series 441, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden), revised 01 Dec 2025.
    14. Arifovic, Jasmina & Jiang, Janet Hua, 2019. "Strategic uncertainty and the power of extrinsic signals– evidence from an experimental study of bank runs," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 1-17.
    15. Alex Petkevich & Andrew Prevost, 2018. "Managerial ability, information quality, and the design and pricing of corporate debt," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1033-1069, November.
    16. Wang, Bo, 2022. "Ambiguity aversion and amplification of financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    17. Kakhbod, Ali & Song, Fei, 2020. "Dynamic price discovery: Transparency vs. information design," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 203-232.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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