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Buffett’s alpha: further explanations from a behavioral value investing perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Eben Otuteye

    (University of New Brunswick)

  • Mohammad Siddiquee

    (Mount Saint Vincent University)

Abstract

Warren Buffett has had extraordinary success as an investor, but there is no agreement as to why. Some academic researchers attribute his performance to mere luck. Frazzini et al. (Financ Anal J 74(4):35–55, 2018), concluded that his alpha is due to leveraging safe, high-quality, and cheap stocks. However, there has been no analysis to date of Buffett’s performance from a behavioral perspective. We argue that Buffett’s success is partly due to qualitative and psychological factors, including tenacity, patience, avoidance of overconfidence, organizational culture, and the reputation effect. Using information from shareholder letters, writings, interviews, and speeches by Buffett and his colleague Charlie Munger, we demonstrate how such psychological factors, together with the quantitative findings of Frazzini et al., render a more complete and satisfying explanation of Buffett’s alpha.

Suggested Citation

  • Eben Otuteye & Mohammad Siddiquee, 2019. "Buffett’s alpha: further explanations from a behavioral value investing perspective," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 33(4), pages 471-490, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:fmktpm:v:33:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1007_s11408-019-00339-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11408-019-00339-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lakonishok, Josef & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert W, 1994. "Contrarian Investment, Extrapolation, and Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(5), pages 1541-1578, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. I-Cheng Yeh, 2023. "Synergy frontier of multi-factor stock selection model," OPSEARCH, Springer;Operational Research Society of India, vol. 60(1), pages 445-480, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Warren Buffett; Value investing; Behavioral finance; Alpha;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets

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