Biased by Choice: How Financial Constraints Can Reduce Financial Mistakes

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Heimer, Rawley Z.; Imas, Alex
• 署名单位: Boston College; University of Chicago
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF FINANCIAL STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0893-9454
• DOI: 10.1093/rfs/hhab073
• 发表日期: 2022
• 页码: 1643
• 关键词: RISK-TAKING EVIDENCE; disposition; leverage; overconfidence; complexity; equity; ORDERS; price; too

摘要

We show that constraints can improve financial decision-making by disciplining behavioral biases. In financial markets, restrictions on leverage limit traders' ability to borrow to open new positions. We demonstrate that regulation that restricts the provision of leverage to retail traders improves trading performance. By increasing the opportunity cost of postponing the realization of losses, leverage constraints improve traders' market timing and reduce their disposition effect. We replicate these findings in two distinct experimental settings, further isolating the mechanism and demonstrating generality of the results. The interaction between constraints and behavioral biases has implications for policy and choice architecture.