Buying the Same Stock -- Again: Pride and Regret Drive Investors' Decisions

How likely are you to repurchase a stock you sold? Professor Terrance Odean, who studies behavioral finance, found that that trading patterns involving previously owned stock are driven by a desire to avoid or at least limit anticipated regret. In other words, investors are likely to repurchase a stock if the sale boosts feelings of satisfaction.

Odean and co-authors reviewed more than 700,000 stock purchases and found that investors are one-half to two-thirds more likely to 1) repurchase stocks previously sold for a gain rather than stocks they previously sold for a loss, 2) repurchase stocks that have lost rather than gained value following a prior sale, and 3) purchase additional shares of stocks that have lost rather than gained value since being purchased.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• UC Berkeley
• Haas School of Business
• Investing
• stock