Experimental Asset Markets: Behaviour and Bubbles

Abstract

This paper reviews new research on experimental asset markets, markets in which the value of the traded asset is homogeneous across all agents. Such markets have been shown to be prone to substantial mispricing, usually in the form of a bubble-and-crash pattern. This calls into question the efficiency of such markets. The studies reviewed consider how market efficiency is affected by the characteristics of traders (intelligence, knowledge, etc.), the properties of the traded asset (the time path of fundamental value, information provision, etc.), and the structure of the market (market interventions, compensation schemes, etc.). Finally, the paper summarizes with a discussion related to defining a unique measure of mispricing.

Keywords: experimental asset markets, literature review, mispricing

JEL Classification: C92, D40