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Status quo bias and the number of alternatives: An empirical illustration from the mutual fund industry

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  • Kempf, Alexander
  • Ruenzi, Stefan

Abstract

We examine the extent of the Status Quo Bias (SQB) in a real-world repeated decision situation. Individuals who are subject to a SQB tend to choose an alternative that was chosen previously (i.e. their status quo), even if it is not the optimal choice any more. We examine the US equity mutual fund market and find strong evidence for the existence of a SQB in this market. Furthermore, the SQB is more severe in segments where there are more funds to choose from. Thereby, we deliver the first empirical confirmation of the experimental result of Samuelson and Zeckhauser (1988), that the SQB positively depends on the number of alternatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Kempf, Alexander & Ruenzi, Stefan, 2005. "Status quo bias and the number of alternatives: An empirical illustration from the mutual fund industry," CFR Working Papers 05-07, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cfrwps:0507
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carhart, Mark M, 1997. "On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(1), pages 57-82, March.
    2. Chevalier, Judith & Ellison, Glenn, 1997. "Risk Taking by Mutual Funds as a Response to Incentives," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(6), pages 1167-1200, December.
    3. Harless, David W. & Peterson, Steven P., 1998. "Investor behavior and the persistence of poorly-performing mutual funds," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 257-276, November.
    4. Samuelson, William & Zeckhauser, Richard, 1988. "Status Quo Bias in Decision Making," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 7-59, March.
    5. Guercio, Diane Del & Tkac, Paula A., 2008. "Star Power: The Effect of Monrningstar Ratings on Mutual Fund Flow," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(4), pages 907-936, December.
    6. Alexander Kempf & Stefan Ruenzi, 2004. "Family Matters: The Performance Flow Relationship in the Mutual Fund Industry," Finance 0404012, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 26 May 2004.
    7. Bergstresser, Daniel & Poterba, James, 2002. "Do after-tax returns affect mutual fund inflows?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 381-414, March.
    8. Woerheide, Walt, 1982. "Investor Response to Suggested Criteria for the Selection of Mutual Funds," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 129-137, March.
    9. Matos, Pedro Pinto & Massa, Massimo & Gaspar, José-Miguel, 2004. "Favouritism in Mutual Fund Families? Evidence on Strategic Cross-Fund Subsidization," CEPR Discussion Papers 4788, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Qureshi, Salman Ali & Rehman, Kashif ur & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran, 2012. "Factors Affecting Investment Decision Making of Equity Fund Managers," MPRA Paper 60783, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Lu, Jingyi & Xie, Xiaofei, 2014. "To change or not to change: A matter of decision maker’s role," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 47-55.
    3. Anton Vaskovskyi, 2021. "Analysis of the Status Quo Behavioural Concept During the Global Economic Crisis," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2021(2), pages 133-155.
    4. Anton Vaskovskyi, . "Analysis of the Status Quo Behavioural Concept During the Global Economic Crisis," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 0.
    5. Tehila Kogut & Momi Dahan, 2012. "Do you look forward to retirement? Motivational biases in pension decisions," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 7(3), pages 282-291, May.
    6. Alexander Kempf & Stefan Ruenzi, 2008. "Family Matters: Rankings Within Fund Families and Fund Inflows," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1‐2), pages 177-199, January.
    7. Mark Dean & Ozgur Kibris & Yusufcan Masatlioglu, 2014. "Limited Attention and Status Quo Bias," Working Papers 2014-11, Brown University, Department of Economics.
    8. repec:cup:judgdm:v:7:y:2012:i:3:p:282-291 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Status Quo Bias; Mutual Funds; Number of Alternatives; Performance Flow Relationship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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