Uncertainty aversion in a heterogeneous agent model of foreign exchange rate formation

Abstract

This paper provides what we believe to be the first empirical test of whether investors in the foreign exchange market are uncertainty averse. We do this using a heterogeneous agents model in which fundamentalist and chartist beliefs of the exchange rate co-exist and are allowed to be either uncertainty neutral or uncertainty averse. Uncertainty aversion is modelled using the maxmin expected utility approach. We find significant evidence of uncertainty aversion in the FX market where in particular fundamentalists are found to be largely uncertainty neutral while chartists are mainly uncertainty averse. Inclusion of uncertainty averse agents significantly improves the performance of the model