This paper examines the relation between equity portfolio diversification choices of individual investors and stock returns. Using a six-year panel (1991-96) of individual investors, I find that stocks with less diversified individual investor clientele earn higher returns. A zero cost portfolio...

This paper uses macroeconomic data to measure the consumption of active investors that are wealthy and derive a large fraction of their income from the capital they own. The resulting stochastic discount factor is tested on the time series and cross section of asset returns and yields reasonable...

This paper offers theoretical, empirical, and simulated evidence that momentum regularities in asset prices are not anomalies. Within a general, frictionless, rational expectations, risk-based asset pricing framework, riskier assets tend to be in the loser portfolios after (large) increases in...

We study firm-level characteristics that a manager would employ as signalling tools in order to time the market (i.e. repurchases and issues). Following the market timing framework, we develop a two-factor asset pricing model comprising a “market” and a “mispricing” factor, which is able...

This paper is the second in a series of critiques of the assumption that stable economic relations exist between certain "firm characteristics" and expected returns. The paper explains why this is not the case for past returns and provides theoretical, empirical, and simulated evidence that the...

This study shows how correlated information consumption (CIC) of retail investors relates to comovement in stock market outcomes. We construct clusters of stocks with CIC by employing network analysis on Google co-search data. We predict significant comovement in returns and liquidity of stocks...

Purpose: People often face constraints such as a lack of time or information in taking decisions, which leads them to use heuristics. In these situations, fast and frugal rules may be useful for making adaptive decisions with fewer resources, even if it leads to suboptimal choices. When applied...

We show meetings of investors and firms convey information about expected returns. Investors frequently travel to meet in-person with firms before investing, and we show firms with abnormally frequent meetings predictably outperform firms with abnormally infrequent meetings by roughly 70-to-100...

The correlation of returns for various equity asset classes has been high. In addition, the range or "dispersion" of returns across asset classes - and across sectors within those asset classes - has been low. These factors have made it difficult for active managers to outperform. But dispersion...

We analyze a novel alpha momentum strategy that invests in stocks based on three-factor alphas which we estimate using daily returns. The empirical analysis for the U.S. and for Europe shows that i) past alpha has power in predicting the cross-section of stock returns, ii) alpha momentum...