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Asset Pricing in the Resource-Constrained Brain

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  • Siddiqi, Hammad

Abstract

Despite scarcity being central to economics, the scarcity of brain’s internal resources has largely been ignored. Neuroscience research increasingly points to the brain evolving as a prediction engine in response to this internal-resource scarcity. The brain meets every situation with subconscious expectations, which are contrasted with information to generate error-signals. Selective processing of such error-signals, in lieu of the entire information-stream, saves brain-resources. We show that applying this predictive-processing framework to asset pricing gives rise to an alpha in CAPM. Several empirically observed phenomena (value, momentum, size, high-alpha-of-low-beta, profitability, investment, and time-specific changes in SML slopes) correspond to either cross-sectional or time-specific variations in this alpha. Additional insights about these phenomena emerge that are consistent with empirical evidence. Hence, potentially, a unified explanation for several asset pricing anomalies emerges as ultimately due to the brain’s optimal response to its own internal resource scarcity, suggesting a synthesis of neoclassical and behavioral finance.

Suggested Citation

  • Siddiqi, Hammad, 2022. "Asset Pricing in the Resource-Constrained Brain," MPRA Paper 120526, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Feb 2024.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:120526
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/120742/1/MPRA_paper_120742.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hammad Siddiqi, 2024. "Strict certainty preference in the predictive brain: a new perspective on financial innovations and their role in the real economy," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 277-287, June.

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    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

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