This paper shows that a monopolistically competitive equilibrium can evolve without purposive profit maximization. Specifically, this paper formulates a precise evolutionary dynamic model of an industry where there is continuous entry of firms that randomly select their output levels on entry...

This paper develops a model to examine how mutual funds set fees charged to investors within a context of non-competitive market structure. The empirical evidence shows that the performance, age, size and cash ratio of the fund have statistically significant impacts on the mutual fund fees but...

With an aversion to losses, there are some traders in financial markets who are not overly aggressive in bidding too high and some traders who are not overly aggressive in selling at too low of a price. This paper shows in an evolutionary model of natural selection within the context of a...

This paper examines the impact on market efficiency of traders who are behaving conservatively in their trading activities to avoid potential losses. To date, the consensus in the literature has been that the presence of well informed traders is necessary for achieving market efficiency. In...

This paper develops a simple signaling model whereby high valuation firm uses levels of investment, debt and dividends to convey information to the market regarding its valuation. Conditions are determined under which investment, debt and dividends are employed in a separating Nash equilibrium....

Even when participants know very little about their environment, the market, itself, by serving as a selection process of information, promotes an efficient aggregate outcome. To emphasize the role of the market and the importance of natural selection, rather than the strategic actions of...

We perform an asset market experiment in order to test the central result coming from the new overconfidence models, namely that high levels of overconfidence lead to enhanced trading activity. We find that overconfidence does engender additional trade. Unlike previous experimental or...

While the literature usually justifies informational efficiency in the context of rationality, this paper shows informational efficiency by applying the evolutionary idea of natural selection. In a dynamic futures market, speculators are assumed to merely act upon their predetermined trading...

1. Evolution, Irrationality and Perfectly Competitive Equilibrium -- 2. Evolution, Irrationality and Monopolistically Competitive Equilibrium -- 3. Evolution and Informationally Efficient Equilibrium in a Commodity Futures Market -- 4. Natural Selection, Random Shocks and Market Efficiency in a...

One of the core building blocks of traditional economic theory is the concept of equilibrium, a state of the world in which economic forces are balanced and in the absence of external influences the values of economic variables remain static. Many traditional equilibrium models, or equilibria,...