"This paper investigates the dynamics of individual portfolios in a unique dataset containing the disaggregated wealth of all households in Sweden. Between 1999 and 2002, we observe little aggregate rebalancing in the financial portfolio of participants. These patterns conceal strong...

This paper investigates the efficiency of household investment decisions in a unique dataset containing the disaggregated wealth and income of the entire population of Sweden. The analysis focuses on two main sources of inefficiency in the financial portfolio: underdiversification of risky...

Momentum strategies have produced high returns and Sharpe ratios, and strong positive alphas relative to market models and other standard factors models. However, the returns to momentum strategies are highly skewed; they experience infrequent but strong and persistent strings of negative returns....

We show that reaching for yield---a tendency to take more risk when the real interest rate declines while the risk premium remains constant---results from imposing a sustainable spending constraint on an otherwise standard infinitely lived investor with power utility. When the interest rate is...

Motivated by behavioral theories, we test whether recent past performance of the momentum strategy (Past Momentum Performance--PMP) negatively predicts the performance of stale momentum portfolios. Following periods of top-quintile PMP, momentum portfolios exhibit strong reversals 2-5 years...

We study the impact of monetary policy on investors' portfolio choices and asset prices. Using data on individual portfolio holdings and on mutual fund flows, we find that a low-interest-rate monetary policy increases investors' demand for high-dividend stocks and drives up their prices. The...

Despite their strong positive average returns across numerous asset classes, momentum strategies can experience infrequent and persistent strings of negative returns. These momentum crashes are partly forecastable. They occur in “panic” states – following market declines and when market...

Despite their strong positive average returns across numerous asset classes, momentum strategies can experience infrequent and persistent strings of negative returns. These momentum crashes are partly forecastable. They occur in "panic" states - following market declines and when market...