Individuals neglect the informational role of prices: evidence from the stock market

Abstract

We find that a stock price fall in itself induces individual investors to buy the stock. That is, individuals neglect the negative information that may be attached to a stock price fall. Our identification strategy uses two distinct events which generate fictitious price falls. The first is the mechanical stock price adjustment on ex-dividend dates. The second explores the so-called left-digit effect, the well-documented empirical fact that individuals disproportionally focus on left digits when evaluating numbers. Our results contribute to the understanding of why people trade.