We show that mutual funds contribute to cross-sectional momentum and excess volatility through positive feedback trading. Stocks held by positive feedback funds exhibit much stronger momentum, almost doubling the returns from a simple momentum strategy. This “enhanced” momentum is robust to...

This dissertation consists of four essays exploring how people form beliefs and make decisions in the financial markets and their implications for asset prices. Two common threads run through this dissertation: the persistence of key state variables and the less-than-fully-rational approach to...

The initial structure of real estate investment trusts (REITs) was predicated on real estate as a long-hold asset that would benefit from an ownership structure that fosters property portfolios held and managed for the long term. Using a sample of publicly traded U.S. REITs from 1995 to 2018, we...