Who Trades on Momentum?
49 Pages Posted: 2 Nov 2014 Last revised: 30 Aug 2018
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Who Trades on Momentum?
Who Trades on Momentum?
Date Written: August 28, 2018
Abstract
Using unique data with the complete ownership structure of the German stock market, we study the momentum and contrarian trading of different investor groups. Foreign investors and financial institutions, especially mutual funds, are momentum traders, whereas private investors are contrarians. The disposition effect only partly explains the aggregate contrarian trading of private investors. We document a substantial increase in sales of past loser stocks by momentum traders during the market decline associated with the recent financial crisis 2007-2009. Evidence indicates that these excessive sales pushed prices below their fundamental value and are predictive of the momentum crash in 2009.
Keywords: momentum anomaly, momentum crash, investor behavior, institutional investors, individual investors
JEL Classification: G10, G14, G23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation