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A News‐Utility Theory for Inattention and Delegation in Portfolio Choice

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  • Michaela Pagel

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that investors are inattentive to their portfolios and hire expensive portfolio managers. This paper develops a life‐cycle portfolio‐choice model in which the investor experiences loss‐averse utility over news and can ignore his portfolio. In such a model, the investor prefers to ignore and not rebalance his portfolio most of the time because he dislikes bad news more than he likes good news such that expected news causes a first‐order decrease in utility. Consequently, the investor has a first‐order willingness to pay a portfolio manager who rebalances actively on his behalf. Moreover, the investor can diversify over time and his consumption aligns with predictions of mental accounting. I structurally estimate the preference parameters by matching stock shares and stock‐market non‐participation over the life cycle. My parameter estimates are in line with the literature, generate reasonable intervals of inattention, and simultaneously explain consumption and wealth accumulation over the life cycle. Here, it matters that news utility preserves first‐order risk aversion even in the presence of stochastic labor income, which also causes stock shares to rise in wealth.

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  • Michaela Pagel, 2018. "A News‐Utility Theory for Inattention and Delegation in Portfolio Choice," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 86(2), pages 491-522, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:emetrp:v:86:y:2018:i:2:p:491-522
    DOI: 10.3982/ECTA14417
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    Cited by:

    1. Bartosz Maćkowiak & Filip Matějka & Mirko Wiederholt, 2023. "Rational Inattention: A Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 226-273, March.
    2. Karle, Heiko & Schumacher, Heiner & Vølund, Rune, 2023. "Consumer loss aversion and scale-dependent psychological switching costs," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 214-237.
    3. Goodman, Sarena & Isen, Adam & Yannelis, Constantine, 2021. "A day late and a dollar short: Liquidity and household formation among student borrowers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(3), pages 1301-1323.
    4. Francisco Gomes & Michael Haliassos & Tarun Ramadorai, 2021. "Household Finance," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 59(3), pages 919-1000, September.
    5. Bassanin, Marzio & Faia, Ester & Patella, Valeria, 2021. "Ambiguity attitudes and the leverage cycle," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    6. Yong Bian & Xiqian Wang & Qin Zhang, 2023. "How Does China's Household Portfolio Selection Vary with Financial Inclusion?," Papers 2311.01206, arXiv.org.
    7. Pagel, Michaela, 2019. "Prospective gain-loss utility: Ordered versus separated comparison," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 62-75.
    8. Ai, Jing & Zhao, Lin & Zhu, Wei, 2018. "Portfolio choice in personal equilibrium," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 163-167.
    9. Luca De Gennaro Aquino & Xuedong He & Moris Simon Strub & Yuting Yang, 2024. "Reference-dependent asset pricing with a stochastic consumption-dividend ratio," Papers 2401.12856, arXiv.org.
    10. Hugh Hoikwang Kim & Raimond Maurer & Olivia S. Mitchell, 2019. "How Cognitive Ability and Financial Literacy Shape the Demand for Financial Advice at Older Ages," NBER Working Papers 25750, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Edika Quispe-Torreblanca & John Gathergood & George Loewenstein & Neil Stewart, 2020. "Attention Utility: Evidence from Individual Investors," CESifo Working Paper Series 8091, CESifo.
    12. Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola & Haliassos, Michael, 2021. "Participation following sudden access," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 671-688.
    13. Benjamin Loos & Steffen Meyer & Michaela Pagel, 2020. "The Consumption Effects of the Disposition to Sell Winners and Hold Losers," NBER Working Papers 26668, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Daniel Andrei & Michael Hasler, 2020. "Dynamic Attention Behavior Under Return Predictability," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(7), pages 2906-2928, July.
    15. Russell Golman & George Loewenstein & Andras Molnar & Silvia Saccardo, 2022. "The Demand for, and Avoidance of, Information," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6454-6476, September.
    16. Malliaris, Steven & Malliaris, A.G., 2021. "Delegated asset management and performance when some investors are unsophisticated," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    17. Tipoe, Eileen, 2021. "Price inattention: A revealed preference characterisation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    18. Kim, Hugh H. & Maurer, Raimond & Mitchell, Olivia S., 2021. "How financial literacy shapes the demand for financial advice at older ages," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).
    19. French, Declan, 2021. "Financial wealth shocks and health," QBS Working Paper Series 2021/10, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's Business School.
    20. Ho, Hoa, 2021. "Loss Aversion, Moral Hazard, and Stochastic Contracts," Discussion Papers in Economics 75307, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    21. Daniele Pennesi, 2020. "Identity and information acquisition," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 610, Collegio Carlo Alberto, revised 2021.
    22. Steffen Meyer & Michaela Pagel, 2019. "Fully Closed: Individual Responses to Realized Gains and Losses," NBER Working Papers 25542, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    23. Balzer, Benjamin & Rosato, Antonio & von Wangenheim, Jonas, 2022. "Dutch vs. first-price auctions with expectations-based loss-averse bidders," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    24. Malliaris, Steven & Malliaris, A.G., 2022. "Reprint of: Delegated asset management and performance when some investors are unsophisticated," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).

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