We demonstrate that limited participation can arise endogenously in the presence
of model uncertainty. Our model generates novel predictions on how limited participation
relates to equity premium and diversification discount. When the dispersion in
investors?model uncertainty is small, full participation prevails in equilibrium. In this
case, equity premium is unrelated to model uncertainty dispersion and a conglomerate
trades at a price equal to the sum of its single segment counterparts. When model
uncertainty dispersion is large, however, investors with relatively high uncertainty optimally
choose to stay sidelined in equilibrium. In this case, equity premium can decrease
with model uncertainty dispersion. This is in sharp contrast to the understanding in
the existing literature that limited participation leads to higher equity premium. Moreover,
when limited participation occurs, a conglomerate trades at a discount relative
to its single segment counterparts. The discount increases in model uncertainty dispersion
and is positively related to the proportion of investors not participating in the
markets.
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