BEHAVIORAL BIASES IN INVESTMENT DECISIONS: HOME BIAS CASE

Abstract

The place of home bias in the modern paradigm of international portfolio investing is determined. The differences between theory and practice of international portfolio investing resulting from such a bias are identified. Main advantages of international diversification of investment portfolios in terms of performance-risk ratio are defined. It is determined that the growing level of financial markets globalization accompanied by the increase in correlation of returns of financial assets have not affected the benefits of international diversification. The primary problems in determining the reasons for home bias are identified. The main economic and mathematical formalization of home bias in the form of indexes is distinguished. The local bias is investigated. It is revealed that local bias is not limited to national borders. It is determined that home bias is negatively correlated with the wealth of an investor. The extent of home bias for particular groups of countries according to their level of economic development is investigated. It is determined that the highest level of home bias is observed in several developed markets, including China, Japan, the USA, and France, while Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland have the highest level of international diversification. The benefits of international diversification based on the MSCI indexes are determined. It is revealed that the benefits from international diversification through emerging markets are higher than those of developed markets. A comparative analysis of portfolios of several countries in the instruments of foreign and local markets is carried out. It is determined that the Great Recession of 2007-2008 promoted the increase in the level of home bias but since 2013 the global level of international diversification has been increasing. Approaches to the analysis of factors of presence of home bias are determined and their main advantages and disadvantages are analyzed based on comparative analysis. The impact of asymmetry of information, financial reporting standards, non-tradable sector of the economy, volumes of investment, inflation, transaction costs, institutional factors on the level of international diversification of the investment portfolio is investigated. A new approach to systematization of factors of home bias through their clustering for institutional, behavioral, transaction and other factors is suggested.