Working Paper: NBER ID: w14440
Authors: Nicholas C. Barberis; Wei Xiong
Abstract: A number of authors have suggested that investors derive utility from realizing gains and losses on assets that they own. We present a model of this "realization utility," analyze its predictions, and show that it can shed light on a number of puzzling facts. These include the disposition effect, the poor trading performance of individual investors, the higher volume of trade in rising markets, the effect of historical highs on the propensity to sell, the individual investor preference for volatile stocks, the low average return of volatile stocks, and the heavy trading associated with highly valued assets.
Keywords: Realization Utility; Disposition Effect; Investor Behavior; Trading Patterns
JEL Codes: G11; G12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| realization utility (D80) | trading behavior (G41) |
| realization utility (D80) | disposition effect (G41) |
| realization utility (D80) | likelihood to sell stocks at historical highs (G17) |
| realization utility (D80) | higher trading volume in rising markets (G10) |
| realization utility (D80) | excessive trading leading to underperformance (G41) |