The efficiency of financial markets and their potential to produce bubbles are central topics in academic and professional debates. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the contribution of financial professionals to price efficiency. To close this gap, we run 86 experimental markets with 294...

The efficiency of financial markets and their potential to produce bubbles are central topics in academic and professional debates. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the contribution of financial professionals to price efficiency. To close this gap, we run 86 experimental markets with 294...

Using machine learning methods, we develop a new measure of aggregate analyst sentiment. We first train analyst-specific neural network (NN) models that capture each analyst's common biases across firms. Using NN model outputs, we decompose the forecast errors of individual analysts into...

We construct a market-level analyst sentiment index by aggregating textual tones of analyst reports. We find that analyst sentiment is high when investor sentiment is high or analysts support rather than correct investors’ overoptimistic views. Consistently, the analyst sentiment index...

We analyze a unique, comprehensive, multi-decade dataset of all communications with clients by a boutique investment advisory and investment management firm to explore the behavior of individuals involved in financial decision making. We propose and test a theory of self-regulation to explain...

We investigate whether investor sentiment affects the research quality of sell-side analysts. As institutional investors regard industry knowledge as the most important element of sell-side service, we use it to proxy for sell-side research quality. Using textual analysis to measure the industry...

Portfolio optimization focuses on risk and return prediction, yet implementation costs critically matter. Predicting trading costs is challenging because costs depend on trade size and trader identity, thus impeding a generic solution. We focus on a component of trading costs that applies...

We investigate whether unpleasant environmental conditions affect stock market participants' responses to information events. We draw from psychology research to develop a new prediction that weather-induced negative moods reduce market participants' activity levels. Exploiting geographic...

We analyze the role that financial analysts play in the sentiment effect on stock prices. Causality analysis reveals that sentiment affects various aspects of the work of analysts. We show that experienced analysts are aware of sentiment, consciously incorporate it, and have some control over...

In this paper, we examine how economy-wide sentiment, measured by the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index, affects analysts' research activities. Using a firm-fixed effects design, we find that consumer sentiment, notably the component related to economic fundamentals, is...