Disposition effect and its outcome on endogenous price fluctuations

Abstract

We have developed a financial market model that incorporates the Disposition Effect, which refers to traders’ tendency to avoid realizing losses. Specifically, our model replicates several stylized facts commonly observed in financial markets, such as fat tails and volatility clustering. These market characteristics can be attributed to the Disposition Effect, especially when the trading behavior of agents aligns with the findings of Ben-David and Hirshleifer (Rev Financ Stud 25(8):2485–2532, 2012). To demonstrate this, we examine two versions of the model: one where a class of agents exhibits a high degree of Disposition Effect and another where traders are not influenced by it. By comparing the simulated time series generated by both versions, we find that the one with agents affected by the Disposition Effect better replicates the features observed in real financial markets. This holds true for both the deterministic and stochastic versions of the model.