Risk Premia and Knightian Uncertainty in an Experimental Market Featuring a Long-Lived Asset

This study examines risk premia in a laboratory market featuring a long-lived asset. The research is enabled by prevention of the persistent bubbles and crashes endemic to laboratory markets utilizing long-lived assets. Positive, statistically significant risk premia are reported, in support of standard asset pricing models. Potential determinants of the risk premia are investigated. These risk premia are not sensitive to expected variance, but do vary positively with the magnitude of potential loss. Also investigated is the influence of Knightian uncertainty on market behavior. Positive premia for uncertainty are absent. However, and perhaps surprisingly, uncertainty significantly increases trading volume. An explanation consistent with microeconomic theory is discussed