We explore the source of managerial hubris in mergers and acquisitions by examining the history of deals made by individual acquirers. We find that compared to their first deals, acquirers of second and higher-order deals experience significantly more negative announcement effects. We also find that while acquisition likelihood increases in the performance associated with previous acquisitions, previous positive performance does not curb the negative wealth effects associated with future deals. We interpret these results as consistent with self-attribution bias leading to overconfidence. We also find evidence that the market anticipates future deals based on an acquirer's acquisition history and impounds such anticipation into stock prices.

本文在Campbell and Cochrane (1998) 和 Brandt and Wang (2001)的研究基础之上利用随机贴现因子对包含习惯的效用函数中的风险厌恶进行了动态一般化分析，并探讨了动态风险厌恶、随机贴现因子、资产定价以及消费增长等因素之间的一般化关系。这种一般化关系有助于解释“股权溢价之谜”(Equity Premium Puzzle)等不合理现象的存在。本文还对模型的计量方法进行了简要的分析。 This paper will make a generalization of dynamic risk aversion on the base of habit-formed consumption-based CAPM, and thus can explain the equity premium puzzle in a general way. Different from Campbell and Cochrane (1998) and Brandt and Wang (2001) which both hypothesize the steady state, this paper supposes the unit root process of the dynamic risk aversion. Also, this paper does not suppose the relevant factors of the forming of consumption habit. So the result is a general form of the relationship between the asset pricing and dynamic risk aversion.

Existing literature has found no evidence of market-timing ability by mutual funds using tests based on fund returns. This paper proposes alternative market-timing tests based on observed fund holdings. The holdings-based measures are shown to be more powerful than the return-based measures, and are not subject to "articial timing" bias. Applying the holdings-based tests, we nd strong evidence of mutual fund timing ability. Our findings also suggest that market-timing funds tend to have higher returns and trade more actively. Furthermore, they seem to have market-timing information beyond those common return-predictive economic variables documented in the academic studies. Finally, we quantify the potential economic value of market-timing as a contingent claim. The magnitude of the estimated values indicates that market-timing is potentially an important investment strategy deserving more academic attention.