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Individual Investor Activity and Performance

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  • Söderlind, Paul
  • Dahlquist, Magnus
  • Martinez, José Vicente

Abstract

We examine the activity and performance of a large panel of individual investors (approximately 70,000 investors and their daily returns over the 2000 to 2010 period) in Sweden's Premium Pension System. We document strong inertia in individuals' choices and changes of mutual funds. We find that active investors outperform passive investors, and that there is a causal effect of fund changes on performance. The outperformance is primarily the result of dynamic fund selection. Activity is beneficial for the individual investor, whereas extreme flows out of mutual funds (which we attribute to financial advisors) affect funds' net asset value negatively for all investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Söderlind, Paul & Dahlquist, Magnus & Martinez, José Vicente, 2012. "Individual Investor Activity and Performance," CEPR Discussion Papers 8744, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8744
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    2. 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.).
    3. Fung, Scott & Obaid, Khaled & Tsai, Shih-Chuan, 2024. "Information acquisition and processing skills of institutions and retail investors around information shocks," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Lapanan, Nicha, 2018. "The investment behavior of socially responsible individual investors," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 214-226.
    5. Fung, Scott & Tsai, Shih-Chuan, 2021. "The price discovery role of day traders in futures market: Evidence from different types of day traders," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 53-77.
    6. Baltakys, Kęstutis & Kanniainen, Juho & Saramäki, Jari & Kivelä, Mikko, 2023. "Investor trade allocation patterns in stock markets," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 191-209.
    7. Grant, Andrew & Kalev, Petko S. & Subrahmanyam, Avanidhar & Joakim Westerholm, P., 2022. "Retail trading activity and major lifecycle events: The case of divorce," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    8. Florian El Mouaaouy, 2018. "Financial crime ‘hot spots’ – empirical evidence from the foreign exchange market," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7-8), pages 565-583, May.
    9. Alison Preston & Robert E. Wright, 2023. "Gender, Financial Literacy and Pension Savings," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 99(324), pages 58-83, March.
    10. Hagen, Johannes & Malisa, Amedeus, 2022. "Financial fraud and individual investment behavior," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 593-626.
    11. Anderson, Anders & Robinson, David, 2024. "Climate Polarization and Green Investment," Misum Working Paper Series 2024-15, Stockholm School of Economics, Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets (Misum), revised 05 Feb 2024.
    12. Agnesens, Julius, 2013. "A statistically robust decomposition of mutual fund performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 3867-3877.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    401(k); Coordinated fund changes; Financial advisors; Fire sales;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions

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