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What Drives the Disposition Effect?

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  • Zuchel, Heiko

    (Universität Mannheim, Graduiertenkolleg Allokation auf Finanz- und Gütermärkten)

Abstract

Why do some investors tend to ''sell winners too early and ride losers too long''? Such behavior, labeled the disposition effect, has been attributed to biases in return expectations, time-varying risk-aversion based on the value function of prospect theory, and regret theory. I review these explanations and argue that none of them is satisfactory because they either fail to capture the disposition effect or because they are not supported by emprical evidence. I point out that there is a large psychological literature on entrapment, escalating commitment, and sunk cost that studies phenomena that are very similar to the disposition effect. This literature suggests an explanation of the disposition effect based on cognitive dissonance theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Zuchel, Heiko, 2001. "What Drives the Disposition Effect?," Sonderforschungsbereich 504 Publications 01-39, Sonderforschungsbereich 504, Universität Mannheim;Sonderforschungsbereich 504, University of Mannheim.
  • Handle: RePEc:xrs:sfbmaa:01-39
    Note: I would like to thank Susanne Abele, Gunnar Görtz and Stefan Schwarz for help, the DFG for financial support through the Graduiertenkolleg . Most of this paper was written while I was visiting the Université des Sciences Sociales in Toulouse where I benefited from a hospitable research environment and financial support through the Research Training Network
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    File URL: http://www.sfb504.uni-mannheim.de/publications/dp01-39.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Rieger, Marc O. & Wang, Mei & Phan, Thuy Chung & Gong, Yujing, 2022. "Trend following or reversal: Does culture affect predictions and trading behavior?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    2. Samuel M. Hartzmark & David H. Solomon, 2012. "Efficiency and the Disposition Effect in NFL Prediction Markets," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(03), pages 1-42.
    3. Jakusch, Sven Thorsten, 2017. "On the applicability of maximum likelihood methods: From experimental to financial data," SAFE Working Paper Series 148, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, revised 2017.
    4. K. Jeremy Ko & Zhijian (James) Huang, 2012. "Persistence of Beliefs in an Investment Experiment," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 2(01), pages 1-34.
    5. Dierick, Nicolas & Heyman, Dries & Inghelbrecht, Koen & Stieperaere, Hannes, 2019. "Financial attention and the disposition effect," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 190-217.
    6. DeWeaver, Mark A. & Shannon, Randall, 2010. "Waning vigilance and the disposition effect: Evidence from Thailand on individual investor decision making," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 18-23, January.
    7. Daniela Vesselinova Balkanska, 2018. "Disposition effect and analyst forecast dispersion," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 837-859, April.
    8. Monika Czerwonka, 2015. "The exploration of disposition effect among business undergraduates in Poland," Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 4(2), pages 79-89.
    9. Jakusch, Sven Thorsten & Meyer, Steffen & Hackethal, Andreas, 2019. "Taming models of prospect theory in the wild? Estimation of Vlcek and Hens (2011)," SAFE Working Paper Series 146, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, revised 2019.
    10. Mattos, Fabio & Garcia, Philip, 2009. "The Effect of Prior Gains and Losses on Current Risk-Taking Using Quantile Regression," 2009 Conference, April 20-21, 2009, St. Louis, Missouri 53035, NCCC-134 Conference on Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting, and Market Risk Management.

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