Rational Herd Behavior and the Globalization of Securities Markets

Guillermo Calvo and Enrique Mendoza

No 97-26, Working Papers from Duke University, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper shows that globalization of securities markets exacerbates the volatility of capital flows by strengthening incentives for herding behavior. This is a prediction of a mean-variance portfolio optimization model with imperfect information, in which investors acquire country-specific expertise at a fixed cost and incur variable reputational costs. The model produces equilibria in which incentives to confirm rumors decrease with globalization. Simulations based on equity markets data and country credit ratings suggest that herd behavior can induce large capital outflows from emerging markets.

JEL-codes: F30 F34 F36 G11 G15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1997
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (54)

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Working Paper: Rational herd behavior and the globalization of securities markets (1997)
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