We explicitly derive and explore the optimal consumption and portfolio policies of a loss-averse individual who endogenously updates his reference level over time. We find that he protects his current consumption by delaying painful reductions in consumption after a drop in wealth, and...

We elicit time discounting factors in an international survey. Our analysis reveals a significant relationship between time discount factors and historical equity premium across 27 countries. It implies that in countries where participants tend to be more short-term oriented, higher historical...

We study multi-period equilibrium asset pricing in an economy with Epstein-Zin (EZ-) agents whose preferences for consumption are represented by recursive utility and with loss averse (LA-) agents who derive additional utility of gains and losses and are averse to losses. We propose an...

We study the implications of various models of reference point formation on optimal decision making in the context of portfolio optimization under loss aversion. If the reference point is exogenously given, then the predictions of any such model crucially depend on the choice of the reference...

We test the proposition that investors' ability to cope with financial losses is much better than they expect. In a panel survey of investors from a large bank in the UK, we ask for their subjective ratings of anticipated returns and experienced returns. The time period covered by the panel...

We study the asset allocation of an investor with prospect theory (PT) preferences. First, we solve analytically the two-asset problem of the PT investor for one risk-free and one risky asset and find that loss aversion and the reference return affect differently less ambitious investors and...

The equilibrium prices in asset markets, as stated by Keynes (1930), "...will be fixed at the point at which the sales of the bears and the purchases of the bulls are balanced." We propose a descriptive theory of finance explicating Keynes' claim that the prices of assets today equilibrate the...

This paper bridges the financial market and the marriage market using a reference-dependent mechanism. Male-biased sex ratios induce families with sons to hold more risky assets, since competitive marital payment in a tight market raises the reference level of marriage expenditure for such...

In this paper we analyze the two-period consumption-investment decision of a household with prospect theory preferences and an endogenous second period reference level which captures habit persistence in consumption and in the current consumption reference level. In particular, we examine three...

In thi s paper we examine capital income taxation of a reference dependent sufficiently loss averse investor in a two period portfolio choice model under full loss offset provisions. Capital income taxation with loss offset provisions has been found to stimulate risk taking in expected utility...