Shock Propagation Through Cross-Learning in Opaque Networks

43 Pages Posted: 5 Nov 2016 Last revised: 6 Dec 2018

See all articles by Jan Schneemeier

Jan Schneemeier

Michigan State University - Eli Broad College of Business

Date Written: November 25, 2018

Abstract

This paper studies information transmission in opaque networks with uncertain inter-firm linkages. Local traders can identify their firm's direct neighbors but are unsure about these firms' linkages to other firms. This uncertainty renders the neighbors' prices difficult to interpret and leads to the propagation of shocks across firms. Payoff-relevant information diffuses slowly and there is excess comovement between fundamentally unrelated assets. Traders and firms in higher network layers suffer from less informative prices and invest less efficiently. Surprisingly, more volatile noise trading can render stock prices more efficient in opaque networks as it discourages cross-learning and reduces the propagation of unrelated shocks.

Keywords: cross-learning, information transmission, financial efficiency, network uncertainty

JEL Classification: D83, D85, G14

Suggested Citation

Schneemeier, Jan, Shock Propagation Through Cross-Learning in Opaque Networks (November 25, 2018). Paris December 2017 Finance Meeting EUROFIDAI - AFFI, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2864608 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2864608

Jan Schneemeier (Contact Author)

Michigan State University - Eli Broad College of Business ( email )

632 Bogue St
East Lansing, MI 48824
United States

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