Conformism and Public News

Author/Editor:

Celine Rochon ; Gabriel Desgranges

Publication Date:

February 1, 2011

Electronic Access:

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Summary:

We study a model where investment decisions are based on investors’ information about the unknown and endogenous return of the investment. The information of investors consists of endogenously determined messages sold by financial analysts who have access to both public and private information on the return of the investment. We assume that the return of the investment is correlated with the aggregate investment. This results into a beauty contest among analysts (or a "conformism" effect). In equilibrium, analysts sell all the information they have to all the investors. A striking result is that there are sometimes multiple equilibria. There are equilibria where the beauty contest is exacerbated. Because of the correlation across analysts' information sources, not all the information available in the economy is transmitted to investors.

Series:

Working Paper No. 2011/033

Subject:

Competition Return on investment Technology Vector autoregression

English

Publication Date:

February 1, 2011

ISBN/ISSN:

9781455217939/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA2011033

Pages:

26

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