Retirement income stream products are difficult for consumers to choose because of their high perceived risk, irreversibility, and high expenditure; little opportunity for social learning; and distant consequences. Yet many countries have shifted more responsibility for these choices to...

We quantify the widespread and significant economic impact of first impressions and confirmation bias in the financial advice market. We use a theoretical learning model and new experimental data to measure how these biases can evolve over time and change clients' willingness to pay advisers....

Since 2008, the usually negative crude oil futures spread has been positive for extended periods, raising doubts about conventional explanations. We re-examine the dynamics of the futures spread using monthly VARs on the CME WTI oil futures spread, OECD and U.S. oil and petroleum inventories and...