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Increases in Risk Aversion and Portfolio Choice in a Complete Market

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Abstract

This note examines the effect of changes in risk aversion on the optimal portfolio choice in a complete market. It is shown that an agent who is less risk averse in the Pratt (1964) sense than another will choose a portfolio whose payoff is distributed as the other's payoff plus a nonnegative random variable plus conditional-mean-zero noise. The proof of the result uses simple first order conditions and basic results from stochastic dominance.

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  • Philip H. Dybvig, 1988. "Increases in Risk Aversion and Portfolio Choice in a Complete Market," Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers 859, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University.
    • Handle: RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:859
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    1. Hadar, Josef & Russell, William R, 1969. "Rules for Ordering Uncertain Prospects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(1), pages 25-34, March.
    2. Ross, Stephen A, 1981. "Some Stronger Measures of Risk Aversion in the Small and the Large with Applications," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(3), pages 621-638, May.
    3. Kihlstrom, Richard E & Romer, David & Williams, Steve, 1981. "Risk Aversion with Random Initial Wealth," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 49(4), pages 911-920, June.
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