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Financial markets are markets in stories: Some possible advantages of using interviews to supplement existing economic data sources

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  • Tuckett, David

Abstract

Fifty-two research interviews were conducted with money managers controlling over $500 billion. This paper presents detailed material from one interview to argue interviews usefully describe their shared reality and provide information about the conditions of action facing financial decision-makers with implications for aggregate behaviour. Their shared reality was dominated by “radical” uncertainty and information ambiguity which severely limited the scope for “fully rational” decision-making. How they managed to commit to decisions was by creating narratives. The study suggests it may be useful to reconsider prejudices against the usefulness of talking to individual economic agents about what they actually do.

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  • Tuckett, David, 2012. "Financial markets are markets in stories: Some possible advantages of using interviews to supplement existing economic data sources," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 1077-1087.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:36:y:2012:i:8:p:1077-1087
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2012.03.013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Wendy Carlin & David Soskice, 2018. "Stagnant productivity and low unemployment: stuck in a Keynesian equilibrium," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 34(1-2), pages 169-194.
    2. Adam Butt & M. Scott Donald & F. Douglas Foster & Susan Thorp & Geoffrey J. Warren & Tom Smith, 2017. "Design of MySuper default funds: influences and outcomes," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(1), pages 47-85, March.
    3. Daphne Sobolev & Bryan Chan & Nigel Harvey, 2017. "Buy, sell, or hold? A sense-making account of factors influencing trading decisions," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1295618-129, January.
    4. Butt, Adam & Donald, M. Scott & Foster, F. Douglas & Thorp, Susan & Warren, Geoffrey J., 2018. "One size fits all? Tailoring retirement plan defaults," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 546-566.
    5. Forbes, William, 2024. "Unconscious thoughts as a spur and halt on good financial decisioning making," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Arpan Chakraborty, 2024. "Beyond Rationality: Unveiling the Role of Animal Spirits and Inflation Extrapolation in Central Bank Communication of the US," Papers 2409.10938, arXiv.org.
    7. Bianchi, Marina, 2014. "The magic of storytelling: How curiosity and aesthetic preferences work," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-30.
    8. Johnson, Samuel G. B., 2019. "Toward a cognitive science of markets: Economic agents as sense-makers," Economics Discussion Papers 2019-10, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial markets; Interviews; Economic methodology; Narrative; Uncertainty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B4 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology
    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets

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