Higher-Order Beliefs and Risky Asset Holdings

Yuriy Gorodnichenko and Xiao Yin ()
Additional contact information
Xiao Yin: University College London

No 17120, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We combine a customized survey and randomized controlled trial (RCT) to study the effect of higher-order beliefs on U.S. retail investors' portfolio allocations. We find that investors' higher-order beliefs about stock market returns are correlated with but distinct from their first-order beliefs. Furthermore, the differences between the two vary systematically according to investor characteristics. We use information treatments in the RCT to create exogenous differential variations in first- and higher-order beliefs. We find that an exogenous increase in first-order beliefs increases the portfolio share allocated to the stock market (risky assets), while an exogenous increase in higher-order beliefs reduces it.

Keywords: expectations; surveys; higher-order beliefs; asset pricing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C83 D84 G11 G12 G51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 74 pages
Date: 2024-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: Higher-Order Beliefs and Risky Asset Holdings (2024)
Working Paper: Higher-Order Beliefs and Risky Asset Holdings (2024)
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