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Understanding Peer Effects in Financial Decisions: Evidence from a Field Experiment


Leonardo Bursztyn


University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management

Florian P. Ederer


University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management; Yale School of Management

Bruno Ferman


George Washington University - School of Business

Noam Yuchtman


University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business

February 4, 2013


Abstract:     
Using a high-stakes field experiment conducted with a financial brokerage, we implement a novel design to separately identify two channels of social influence in financial decisions, both widely studied theoretically. When someone purchases an asset, his peers may also want to purchase it, both because they learn from his choice ("social learning") and because his possession of the asset directly affects others' utility of owning the same asset ("social utility"). We find that both channels have statistically and economically significant effects on investment decisions. These results can help shed light on the mechanisms underlying herding behavior in financial markets.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 81

Keywords: peer effects, social learning, social preferences, portfolio choice

JEL Classification: G00, G11, C93, D03, D14, D83, M31

working papers series


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Date posted: July 5, 2012 ; Last revised: February 13, 2013

Suggested Citation

Bursztyn, Leonardo, Ederer, Florian P., Ferman, Bruno and Yuchtman, Noam, Understanding Peer Effects in Financial Decisions: Evidence from a Field Experiment (February 4, 2013). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2101391 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2101391

Contact Information

Leonardo Bursztyn
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management ( email )
110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States
Florian P. Ederer (Contact Author)
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Anderson School of Management ( email )
110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States
Yale School of Management ( email )
135 Prospect Street
P.O. Box 208200
New Haven, CT 06520-8200
United States

Bruno Ferman
George Washington University - School of Business ( email )
Washington, DC 20052
United States
Noam Yuchtman
University of California, Berkeley - Haas School of Business ( email )
545 Student Services Building
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
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