Samuel M Hartzmark

 

University of Southern California

Marshall School of Business

PhD Candidate

Finance and Business Economics

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ReSearch Interests

Empirical Asset Pricing    Behavioral Finance

Dividends                             Economic Uncertainty

Prediction Markets         Interest Rates

 

Email

hartzmar@usc.edu

 

SSRN Homepage

 

CV

 

 

 

Publications:

The Dividend Month Premium

With David Solomon

Journal of Financial Economics, Forthcoming

Abstract: We document an asset-pricing anomaly whereby companies have positive abnormal returns in months when a dividend is predicted. Abnormal returns in predicted dividend months are high relative to other companies, and relative to dividend-paying companies in months without a predicted dividend, making risk-based explanations unlikely. The anomaly is as large as the value premium, but less volatile.  The premium is consistent with price pressure from dividend-seeking investors. Measures of liquidity and demand for dividends are associated with larger price increases in the period before the ex-day (when there is no news about the dividend), and larger reversals afterwards.

 

Efficiency and the Disposition Effect in NFL Prediction Markets

With David Solomon

Quarterly Journal of Finance, 2012, 2(3), 1250013.

Abstract: Examining NFL betting contracts at Tradesports.com, we find mispricing consistent with the disposition effect, where investors are more likely to close out profitable positions than losing positions. Prices are too low when teams are ahead and too high when teams are behind. Returns following news events exhibit short-term reversals and longer-term momentum. These results do not appear driven by liquidity or non-financial reasons for trade. Finding the disposition effect in a negative expected return gambling market questions standard explanations for the effect (belief in mean reversion, prospect theory). It is consistent with cognitive dissonance, and models with time-inconsistent behavior.

Working Papers:

COMING SOON:

Economic Uncertainty and Interest Rates

Abstract: Simple models imply a relation between the short-term interest rate, expected economic growth and the uncertainty of growth. I document a robust, economically and statistically significant inverse relation between interest rates and uncertainty, defined as the volatility of economic growth. Expected growth bears virtually no empirical relation to interest rates. This relation holds for over 140 years of data, various measures of growth and uncertainty, and after controlling for persistent regressors and inflation risk. These results yield further understanding of a fundamental economic variable and imply that analyses including the interest rate without accounting for uncertainty may be seriously incomplete.

 

Rank Dependent Trade

 

Juicing the Dividend Yield: Mutual Funds and the Demand for Dividends (with Larry Harris and David Solomon)

 

 

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