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Costly Information Acquisition, Social Networks, and Asset Prices: Experimental Evidence

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  • EDWARD HALIM
  • YOHANES E. RIYANTO
  • NILANJAN ROY

Abstract

We design an experiment to study the implications of information networks for incentives to acquire costly information, market liquidity, investors' earnings, and asset price characteristics in a financial market. Social communication crowds out information production as a result of an agent's temptation to free ride on the signals purchased by her neighbors. Although information exchange among traders increases trading volume, improves liquidity, and enhances the ability of asset prices to reflect the available information in the market, it fails to improve price informativeness. Net earnings and social welfare are higher with information sharing due to reduced acquisition of costly signals.

Suggested Citation

  • Edward Halim & Yohanes E. Riyanto & Nilanjan Roy, 2019. "Costly Information Acquisition, Social Networks, and Asset Prices: Experimental Evidence," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(4), pages 1975-2010, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:74:y:2019:i:4:p:1975-2010
    DOI: 10.1111/jofi.12768
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    2. Ruiz-Buforn, Alba & Camacho-Cuena, Eva & Morone, Andrea & Alfarano, Simone, 2021. "Overweighting of public information in financial markets: A lesson from the lab," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    3. Alba Ruiz-Buforn & Simone Alfarano & Eva Camacho-Cuena & Andrea Morone, 2022. "Single vs. multiple disclosures in an experimental asset market with information acquisition," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(13-15), pages 1513-1539, October.
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    6. Rocco Caferra & Gabriele Tedeschi & Andrea Morone, 2023. "Agents interaction and price dynamics: evidence from the laboratory," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 18(2), pages 251-274, April.
    7. Ciril Bosch-Rosa & Brice Corgnet, 2022. "Cognitive finance," Chapters, in: Sascha Füllbrunn & Ernan Haruvy (ed.), Handbook of Experimental Finance, chapter 7, pages 73-88, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Alfarano, Simone & Banal-Estanol, Albert & Camacho-Cuena, Eva & Iori, Giulia & Kapar, Burcu, 2020. "Centralized vs decentralized markets in the laboratory: The role of connectivity," MPRA Paper 99129, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Farouq Abdulaziz Masoudy, 2018. "Accurate Evaluation of Asset Pricing Under Uncertainty and Ambiguity of Information," Papers 1801.06966, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2018.
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    15. Merl, Robert, 2022. "Literature review of experimental asset markets with insiders," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    16. Oliver Rehbein & Simon Rother, 2020. "The Role of Social Networks in Bank Lending," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 033, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    17. Lionel Page & Christoph Siemroth, 2021. "How Much Information Is Incorporated into Financial Asset Prices? Experimental Evidence," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(9), pages 4412-4449.
    18. Huan Liu & Weiqi Liu & Yi Li, 2022. "Private Information Dissemination and Noise Trading: Implications for Price Efficiency and Market Liquidity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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