We evaluate the ability of different asset pricing models to explain the flows into VIX ETPs with long volatility exposure. We find no evidence supporting that investors consider systematic risk when they evaluate VIX ETP performance. Instead, investors appear to follow a simple mean reversion...

We investigate the empirical implications of investors' heterogeneous preferences for skewness with respect to the idiosyncratic volatility (IVOL) puzzle (the negative correlation between idiosyncratic volatility and mean returns). We show that the IVOL puzzle is stronger: (1) within those...

Despite assumptions of mean-variance efficiency that underlie most asset pricing models, investors have shown a penchant for positive skewness. This study documents that the ratio of call option volume relative to total option volume is greatest for stocks with return distributions that resemble...