Extrapolation and Bubbles

Nicholas  Barberis; Robin  Greenwood; Lawrence  Jin; Andrei   Shleifer

Article | Journal of Financial Economics | August 2018

Extrapolation and Bubbles

by Nicholas Barberis, Robin Greenwood, Lawrence Jin and Andrei Shleifer

Abstract

We present an extrapolative model of bubbles. In the model, many investors form their demand for a risky asset by weighing two signals: an average of the asset’s past price changes and the asset’s degree of overvaluation. The two signals are in conflict, and investors “waver” over time in the relative weight they put on them. The model predicts that good news about fundamentals can trigger large price bubbles. We analyze the patterns of cash-flow news that generate the largest bubbles, the reasons why bubbles collapse, and the frequency with which they occur. The model also predicts that bubbles will be accompanied by high trading volume and that volume increases with past asset returns. We present empirical evidence that bears on some of the model’s distinctive predictions.

Keywords: bubble; extrapolation; volume; Price Bubble; Mathematical Methods;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Barberis, Nicholas, Robin Greenwood, Lawrence Jin, and Andrei Shleifer. "Extrapolation and Bubbles." Journal of Financial Economics 129, no. 2 (August 2018): 203–227.

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Extrapolation and Bubbles

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