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UNDERSTANDING HOW HOUSEHOLDS REACT TO THE ARRIVAL OF PERMANENT AND TRANSITORY INCOME IS OF INTEREST FOR RESEARCHERS AND REGULATORS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAD TO USE IMPRECISE SURVEY DATA TO MEASURE CONSUMPTION AND THUS CONCLUSIONS OFTEN DIVERGED. WE LEVERAGE GRANULAR PERSONAL FINANCE MANAGEMENT FINTECH DATA TO TEST FRIEDMAN'S PERMANENT INCOME HYPOTHESIS AND TO ASSESS HOUSEHOLD SPENDING ELASTICITY AND MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME FOR VARIOUS SPENDING CATEGORIES IN RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT INCOME TYPES.
THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHAT HAPPENS WHEN RETAIL CUSTOMERS ARE OFFERED FREE AND UNBIASED ADVICE. USING A LARGE FIELD EXPERIMENT IT SHOWS THAT THOSE WHO ACCEPT THE OFFER (5%) ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE MALE, OLDER, WEALTHIER, MORE EXPERIENCED AND MORE FINANCIALLY SOPHISTICATED. HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH THE ADVICE WOULD HAVE HELPED, IT ACTUALLY LARGELY FAILED TO HELP BECAUSE THE CUSTOMERS DID NOT LISTEN TO IT. OVERALL, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE MERE AVAILABILITY OF UNBIASED FINANCIAL ADVICE IS A NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT CONDITION FOR BENEFITING RETAIL CUSTOMERS.
RECENTLY, PASSIVE ETFS AND INDEX FUNDS HAVE BECOME POPULAR AMONG INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS. IN OUR STUDY, WE INVESTIGATE WHETHER INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS BENEFIT FROM USING THEM. WITH DATA FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST BROKERAGES IN GERMANY, WE FIND THAT INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS WORSEN THEIR PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE AFTER USING THESE PRODUCTS IN COMPARISON TO NON-USERS. SINCE THESE SECURITIES MAKE MARKET TIMING EASIER, FURTHER ANALYSIS REVEALS THAT THE DECREASE IN USERS’ PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE IS PRIMARILY DUE TO BAD MARKET TIMING.
ON JUNE 18TH, WIRECARD’S SHARE PRICE PLUMMETED BY MORE THAN 60% FOLLOWING THE FIRM’S ADMISSION OF BEING SUBJECT TO “ENORMOUS FRAUD” AND BILLIONS OF EUROS MISSING. THIS REPORT DOCUMENTS GERMAN RETAIL INVESTORS’ RESPONSE AND FINDS THAT THE POPULARITY OF WIRECARD AMONG RETAIL INVESTORS LED TO SUBSTANTIAL LOSSES IN THEIR PORTFOLIOS. THESE LOSSES WERE EXACERBATED BY STRONG BUYING SENTIMENT AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT. THE FAILING STOCK WAS PURCHASED BY INVESTORS ALREADY ENGAGED IN IT AS WELL AS NON-EXPOSED CUSTOMERS.
INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS ARE REPEATEDLY FOUND TO UNDERPERFORM RELATIVE TO A MARKET INDEX. BESIDES EXCESSIVE TRADING, LITTLE IS KNOWN WHEN RETAIL INVESTORS COLLECTIVELY LOSE. THIS ARTICLE SHOWS THAT TRADING IN SHORT-SELLING CONSTRAINED, VOLATILE STOCKS AROUND EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS IS COSTLY TO INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS. THE EFFECT IS PARTICULARLY PRONOUNCED FOR LESS SOPHISTICATED INVESTORS.