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Destabilizing Financial Advice: Evidence from Pension Fund Reallocations

Author

Listed:
  • Zhi Da
  • Borja Larrain
  • Clemens Sialm
  • José Tessada

Abstract

We document a novel channel through which coordinated trading exerts externalities on financial markets. We study the impact of a financial advisory firm that recommends frequent reallocations between equity and bond funds to Chilean pension investors. The recommendations generate large and coordinated fund flows that are exacerbated by the strategic complementarity arising from fund trading restrictions. The recommendations generate significant price pressure and increased volatility in the stock market. In response to these large trade flows, pension funds shift their allocations to more liquid securities. Our findings suggest that giving retirement savers unconstrained reallocation opportunities can destabilize financial markets. Received March 11, 2016; editorial decision July 8, 2017 by Editor Itay Goldstein.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhi Da & Borja Larrain & Clemens Sialm & José Tessada, 2018. "Destabilizing Financial Advice: Evidence from Pension Fund Reallocations," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 31(10), pages 3720-3755.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:31:y:2018:i:10:p:3720-3755.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hhy011
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    Cited by:

    1. Kristy Jansen & Sven Klingler & Angelo Ranaldo & Patty Duijm, 2024. "Pension Liquidity Risk," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 24-16, Swiss Finance Institute.
    2. Conrado Cuevas & Dan Bernhardt & Mario Sanclemente, 2023. "Followers of the pied piper of pensioners," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 56(4), pages 1517-1550, November.
    3. Patrycja Klusak & Moritz Kraemer & Huong Vu, 2022. "First‐mover disadvantage: the sovereign ratings mousetrap," Financial Markets, Institutions & Instruments, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 3-44, February.
    4. Mathias S. Kruttli & Phillip J. Monin & Sumudu W. Watugala, 2017. "Investor Concentration, Flows, and Cash Holdings : Evidence from Hedge Funds," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2017-121, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Ricardo J Caballero & Alp Simsek, 2021. "A Model of Endogenous Risk Intolerance and LSAPs: Asset Prices and Aggregate Demand in a “COVID-19” Shock [Financial intermediaries and the cross-section of asset returns]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(11), pages 5522-5580.
    6. Kronlund, Mathias & Pool, Veronika K. & Sialm, Clemens & Stefanescu, Irina, 2021. "Out of sight no more? The effect of fee disclosures on 401(k) investment allocations," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 644-668.
    7. Ding Ding & Xiang Fang & Bryan Hardy & Karen Lewis, 2026. "Global pension asset allocations and debt markets," BIS Papers, Bank for International Settlements, number 172.
    8. Piera Bello & Marius Cziriak & Mario Padula, 2025. "Fee-ling Stuck? Provider Choice in a Mandatory Defined Contribution Pension System," Working Papers 2025: 26, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    9. Kraemer, Moritz & Klusak, Patrycja & Vu, Huong, 2020. "First-mover disadvantage - The sovereign ratings mousetrap," CEPS Papers 26352, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    10. Kristjanpoller, Werner D. & Olson, Josephine E., 2021. "The effect of market returns and volatility on investment choices in Chile’s defined contribution retirement plan," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    11. Rizzo, Emanuele, 2018. "Essays on corporate governance and the impact of regulation on financial markets," Other publications TiSEM b5158260-ea13-4763-b992-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    12. Raddatz K., Claudio E., 2025. "Authorized participants’ regulatory constraints and limits to ETF arbitrage during market turmoil Evidence from the dash-for-cash episode," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    13. Díaz, Juan D. & Hansen, Erwin, 2025. "Price effects of asset forced sales during massive pension funds withdrawals," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    14. Steven Chong Xiao, 2020. "Do Noisy Stock Prices Impede Real Efficiency?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(12), pages 5990-6014, December.
    15. Brad M. Barber & Xing Huang & Terrance Odean & Christopher Schwarz, 2022. "Attention‐Induced Trading and Returns: Evidence from Robinhood Users," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(6), pages 3141-3190, December.
    16. Aldunate, Felipe & Da, Zhi & Larrain, Borja & Sialm, Clemens, 2025. "Pension fund flows, exchange rates, and covered interest rate parity," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    17. Nathan Foley-Fisher & Jeongmin Lee, 2025. "Funds of Funds' Portfolio Rebalancing during the COVID-19 Crisis," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2025-106, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    18. Cuevas, Conrado & Bernhardt, Dan, 2023. "When financial advice rocks the market," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).

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