Social interaction at work

Authors Hvide, Ostberg
Journal Journal of Financial Economics
Year 2015
Type Published Paper
Abstract Stock market investment decisions of individuals are positively correlated with those of coworkers. Sorting of unobservably similar individuals to the same workplaces is unlikely to explain this pattern, as evidenced by the investment behavior of individuals who move between plants. Purchases made under stronger coworker purchase activity are not associated with higher returns. Moreover, social interaction appears to drive the purchase of within-industry stocks. Overall, we find a strong influence of coworkers on investment choices, but not an influence that improves the quality of investment decisions.
Keywords Individual investors, peer effects, social interaction, investment decisions, stock selection
URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2015.06.004
Tags Archival Empirical  |   Financing- and Investment Decisions (Individual)  |   Propagation of Noise / Undesirable Outcomes