This paper reviews main results of behavioral finance. In light of the theory, determinants of individual investor behaviors in Vietnam stock market during 2009-2010 are analyzed. As a result of a well-designed survey, our regression model shows empirically that the individual investor's...

In this paper we investigate the importance of acquaintance networks for financial decisions by households. We construct a variable capturing the expected proximity or social closeness to a subpopulation of financially savvy people using an overdispersed Poisson model. This measure captures the...

This research studies the childhood exposure effect on stock market participation. We find that individuals with rural childhoods are less likely to invest in the stock market, controlling for wealth, trust, social interaction, risk attitude, and financial literacy. Furthermore, we find evidence...

This paper studies the effect of changes in expected college costs on household savings, asset allocation, and stock market participation. Using household-level data for households with children, I first find that a $1,000 increase in in-state college tuition leads to a 1.7% higher probability...

This article examines the return characteristics of a portfolio of US 'vice stocks', firms that manufacture and sell socially irresponsible products such as alcohol, tobacco, gaming services and national defense. First of all, I construct a portfolio using the daily returns of 41 vice stocks...

This paper analyses the relationship between dispositional optimism and stock investments. Data are drawn from the second wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Dispositional optimism is found to be a relevant predictor of the ownership of stocks as well as of the share...

We show that after the revelation of corporate fraud in a state, household stock market participation in that state decreases. Households decrease their holdings in fraudulent as well as non-fraudulent firms, even if they did not hold stocks in fraudulent firms. Within a state, households with...

It is a universally accepted principle that risk and return of investing are commensurate. However, people give more importance to return and risk takes a back seat. This study is an attempt to understand the perceptions of 120 investors in Gandhinagar region towards risk and return of investing...

In this paper we investigate the importance of acquaintance networks for financial decisions by households. We construct a variable capturing the expected proximity or social closeness to a subpopulation of financially savvy people using an overdispersed Poisson model. This measure captures the...