Coronabias and the Fat Tail
In judging other people’s reaction to the coronavirus, are we in danger of displaying a new kind of “coronabias”? Philip Maymin explores this and the wider implications for investor behavior in the current crisis.
What We’re Reading – Updated!
We've updated our popular guide to behavioral science literature, The Essentia Reading List. One of our most downloaded white papers, this comprehensive list includes must-read behavioral classics and some exciting new titles.
Essentia’s 12 Quotes of Christmas
Το celebrate this year’s holiday season, here are 12 pieces of timeless wisdom for your investment decision-making in 2020 and beyond.
The Half-Full Glass: Active Managers CAN Outperform Index Funds, Net of Fees
In a supplement to our Alpha Lifecycle research, we find that disciplined active managers who are able to exit positions at or near the peak of their alpha curve can preserve more than 120 bps outperformance (net of fees), per year, vs index funds.
Don’t Ride a Falling Star
How did the Neil Woodford fund saga become so dramatic - and so destructive? Clare Flynn levy looks beyond traditional risk attribution and style-drift warning signals to explore how unchecked biases brought down this star manager.
Our New Analysis Demonstrates Alpha Lifecycle
We have long suspected that alpha, a key measure of an investment manager's added value, has a finite life span and often tends to decay over time. Our new research proves it, bringing new insights into the nature of alpha and how portfolio managers can act to sustain it.
Two Questions for Noted Cognitive Neuroscientist Tali Sharot
Ahead of her keynote presentation at this year's Behavioral Alpha conference in London, we talk to Dr. Tali Sharot, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL and best-selling author, about the factors that can make us change our minds.
Top 10 Online Shopping Nudges
As we approach the festive season, rest assured that online retailers such as Amazon are enthusiastically waiting to help us make those important gift decisions. Here is a list of the top 10 behavioral nudges and techniques they will use to help us fill our shopping carts.
5 of the Biggest Cons in US Financial History
If you think you’re too smart to be the victim of a con artist, you’re sorely mistaken. In a nod to Dr Maria Konnikova's session on the science of 'the con' at this year's Behavioral Alpha, we present five of the US' greatest financial swindles.
Active management does have a future – and here’s what it looks like
Former PM and buy-side thought leader, Jason A. Voss, considers how the industry will evolve over the next 7-10 years, and the change that's needed to develop a new breed of successful active manager.