The Efficient Market Hypothesis

It is believed that Efficient Market Theory is based upon some fallacies and it does not provide strong grounds of whatever that it proposes. More importantly the Efficient Market theory is perceived to be too subjective in its definition and details and because of this it is close to impossible to accommodate this theory into a meaningful and explicit financial model that can actually assist investors in making the investment decisions (Andresso-O’Callaghan, B., 2007).

As Chapter 10 questions, if further evidence continues to surface that capital markets do not always behave in accordance with the efficient market hypothesis, then should we reject the research that has embraced the EMH as a fundamental assumption? In this regard we can return to earlier chapters of this book in which we emphasised that theories are abstractions of reality. Capital markets are made of individuals and as such it would not (or perhaps, should not) be surprising to find that the

Chapter seven: What does the efficient market theory have to do with Financial markets? Discuss the positives and negatives of the theory. Why do Wall-Street types not like it? Explain the coin flipping experiment, as it relates to investment diversification.

Chapter seven: What does the efficient market theory have to do with Financial markets? Discuss the positives and negatives of the theory. Why do Wall-Street types not like it? Explain the coin flipping experiment, as it relates to investment diversification.

The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) that was first proposed by Fama (1965, 1970) is the cornerstone of the modern financial economic theory. The EMH argues that the market is efficient and asset price reflects all the relevant information concerned about its return. The genius insight provided by the EMH has changed the way we look at the financial crisis thoroughly. However, the confidence in the EMH is eroded by the recent financial crisis. People can not help to ask: if the market is efficient and the price of assets is always correct as suggested by the EMH, why there exists such a great bubble in the financial market during the recent financial crisis?

The Efficient-Market Hypothesis (EMH) states that it is impossible to beat the market because stock market efficiency causes existing share prices to always incorporate and reflect all relevant information.

Efficient market - A market in which the values of all assets and securities at any point in time reflect all available public information. In order to understand what causes price changes in stock prices and how securities are valued or priced in the financial markets, it is

It was previously assumed that economic investors and regulators (agents) utilised all available information and thus market prices were a reflection of this information with assets representing their fundamental value, encouraging the position that agents’ actions were rational. The 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) is posited to have originated from the notion that all available information was utilised, causing agents to fail to thoroughly investigate and confirm “the true values of publicly traded securities,” leading to a failure to register the presence of an asset price bubble preceding the GFC (Ball 2009).

Under the idea that markets are efficient, stock prices reflect new information quickly and accurately. Furthermore, Morningstar (n.d.) contributes details on the strongest supportive theory of efficient markets, EMH exists in three forms: weak, semi-strong and strong. The hypothesis calls for the existence of informationally efficient markets, were current stock prices reflect all information, and attempts to outperform the market will only come in the form of riskier investments. Also, because of a large number of independent investors actively analyzing new information simultaneously as it enters the market, investors react accordingly and is immediately reflected in the stock

In the efficient market everyone make a decision based on the information they have got. In the real circumstances, there is an agency problem so the agents know more information than the shareholder, so they make high investment and make abnormal profit. This is known as a corporate fraud. If the investors find out about this the fraudulent activity then this cause to stop the investments in particular sector. This lead to decrease share price in particular sector. If the price gone up this means that market is in-efficient.

Another concern relates of insider trading of market efficiency of stock market. In his classical study Fama (1970) proposes efficient market Hypothesis, which suggests that stock price reflects all available information (historical price, public and private) in

Efficient Market Hypothesis has been controversial issues among researcher for decades. Until now, there is no united conclusion whether capital markets are efficiency or not. In 1960s, Fama (1970) believed that market is very efficient despite there are some trivial contradicted tests. Until recently, both empirical and theatrical efficient market hypothesis was being disputed by behavior finance economist. They have found that investor have psychological biases and found evidences that some stocks outperform other stocks. Moreover, there are evidences prove that market are not efficient for instance financial crisis, stock market bubble, and some investor can earn abnormal return which happening regularly in stock markets all over the world. Therefore, the purpose of this essay is to demonstrate that Efficient Market Hypothesis in stock (capital) markets does not exist in the real world by proofing four outstanding unrealistic conditions that make market efficient: information is widely available and cost-free, investor are rational, independent and unbiased, There is no liquidity problem in stock market, and finally stock prices has no pattern.

¡§Economic Theory Suggests that Markets are Efficient and Security Prices are Determined on the Basis of Fundamental Value¡¨

The efficient market, as one of the pillars of neoclassical finance, asserts that financial markets are efficient on information. The efficient market hypothesis suggests that there is no trading system based on currently available information that could be expected to generate excess risk-adjusted returns consistently as this information is already reflected in current prices. However, EMH has been the most controversial subject of research in the fields of financial economics during the last 40 years. “Behavioural finance, however, is now seriously challenging this premise by arguing that people are clearly not rational” (Ross, (2002)). Behavioral finance uses facts from psychology and other human sciences in order to

The efficient market hypothesis is constantly being analyzed for its validity in the current market. There are a multitude of external factors contributing to the reluctance of relying on the EMH. Specifically, the rise of high frequency trading has significantly called into question the legitimacy of the efficient market. High