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Information acquisition and welfare effect in a model of competitive financial markets

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  • Xiaojuan Hu
  • Cheng-Zhong Qin

Abstract

We analyze welfare effect of information acquisition for a model of competitive financial markets with diverse information and rational expectations. We show that in the fully revealing rational expectations equilibrium, each agent’s gain from trade in ex ante utility decreases as more agents become informed. An implication of the result is that market efficiency and ex ante Pareto optimality are not compatible in competitive financial markets with diverse information and rational expectations. Our result can be viewed as complementary to the Grossman paradox, which shows that market efficiency and individuals’ incentives to acquire information are not compatible. This paper is the first step in a projected exploration of welfare effect of information acquisition in models with diverse information. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaojuan Hu & Cheng-Zhong Qin, 2013. "Information acquisition and welfare effect in a model of competitive financial markets," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 54(1), pages 199-210, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:54:y:2013:i:1:p:199-210
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-012-0711-5
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    Cited by:

    1. Khan, M. Ali & Yu, Haomiao & Zhang, Zhixiang, 2024. "On comparisons of information structures with infinite states," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    2. Yang, Yang, 2019. "Is Ignorance Bliss?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 68-82.
    3. Biais, Bruno & Foucault, Thierry & Moinas, Sophie, 2015. "Equilibrium fast trading," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 292-313.
    4. Lutz G. Arnold & Sebastian Zelzner, 2020. "Welfare Effects of the Allocation of Talent to Financial Trading: What Does the Grossman-Stiglitz Model Say?," Working Papers 190, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    5. Wang, Yuanping & Wang, Dongfang & Hou, Chunxiao, 2022. "Information acquisition and asset allocation with unknown income growth," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    6. M. Ali Khan & Haomiao Yu & Zhixiang Zhang, 2019. "Information Structures on a General State Space: An Equivalence Theorem and an Application," Working Papers 076, Ryerson University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fully revealing REE; Grossman paradox; Information acquisition; Market efficiency; Pareto optimality; D82; D84; G14;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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