Plenary presentation: "Animal spirits on steroids: Evidence from retail options trading"

Plenary presentation: "Animal spirits on steroids: Evidence from retail options trading"

25/08/2025

Behavioral finance;Financial inclusion;Financial markets;Gamification of finance;Investments

16:00

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16:30

Hash-linked timestamping is the key feature behind blockchain technology. It makes it possible to design financing contracts that are based on reliable and up-to-date records of transactions. For this reason, it is considered to enhance trust. This paper develops a theoretical model that uses dynamic contract theory to derive optimal financing contracts in a blockchain environment. I show that a dynamically adjusting profit sharing rule is optimal and I highlight properties that determine the splitting rule. In contrast to the view that blockchain enhances traditional contracts like debt and equity by bringing efficiency gains, I emphasise that blockchain allows borrowers to learn from data and take effoort decisions more frequently, which make debt and equity contracts costlier.

Hash-linked timestamping is the key feature behind blockchain technology. It makes it possible to design financing contracts that are based on reliable and up-to-date records of transactions. For this reason, it is considered to enhance trust. This paper develops a theoretical model that uses dynamic contract theory to derive optimal financing contracts in a blockchain environment. I show that a dynamically adjusting profit sharing rule is optimal and I highlight properties that determine the splitting rule. In contrast to the view that blockchain enhances traditional contracts like debt and equity by bringing efficiency gains, I emphasise that blockchain allows borrowers to learn from data and take effoort decisions more frequently, which make debt and equity contracts costlier.

Nagpurnanand Prabhala

Johns Hopkins University

Professor of Finance

Nagpurnanand Prabhala

Johns Hopkins University

Professor of Finance

Vikas Agarwal

Georgia State University

Bank of America Distinguished Chair and Professor of Finance

Vikas Agarwal

Georgia State University

Bank of America Distinguished Chair and Professor of Finance

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