In this article, we provide a novel rationale for credit ratings. The rationale that we propose is that credit ratings serve as a coordinating mechanism in situations where multiple equilibria can obtain. We show that credit ratings provide a focal point for firms and their investors, and...

Conducting the first study of momentum impact on households' ETF trading behavior, we find that Finnish households are less contrarian when trading benchmark index ETFs than when trading common stocks. Also, their propensity to chase recent positive momentum is higher when purchasing ETFs than...

The valuation of illiquid or non-marketable assets is complicated by the fact that the discount rate cannot be computed by using the risk attributes of the asset along with market parameters. Rather, individual attitudes toward risk affect the discount rate. Some recent research has avoided this...