Evolution in Pecunia

Abstract

The paper models evolution in pecunia—in the realm of finance. Financial markets are explored as evolving biological systems. Investors pursuing diverse investment strategies compete for the market capital. Some `survive' and some `become extinct.' A central goal is to identify evolutionary stable, i.e. guaranteeing survival, investment strategies. The problem is studied in a framework combining stochastic dynamics and evolutionary game theory. The model proposed employs only objectively observable market data, in contrast with traditional settings relying upon unobservable investors characteristics (utilities and beliefs). The main result is a construction of an evolutionary stable strategy in the model at hand.

Keywords: Evolutionary finance, financial markets, evolutionarily stable investment strategies, survival, stochastic dynamics, local stability

JEL Classification: C73, G11