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Article

Open Access

Observations on Samuelson’s Dictum

Author(s)

Michael Clemens

Full-Text PDF Download XML 462 Views

DOI:10.17265/2328-7144/2023.03.003

Affiliation(s)

BankInvest Group, Copenhagen, Denmark

ABSTRACT

The stock market in the form of the S&P 500 is estimated to be inefficient in 13% to 30% of the time since 1963. This is contrary to the theory of efficient capital markets, but in accordance with Samuelson’s Dictum, which posits that the stock market is micro efficient, but macro inefficient. I develop a new model to measure potential inefficiency at macro level. Inefficiency in price (P) is driven by earnings (EPS) and/or valuation (P/E). At the peak of the TMT-bubble in 1999/2000, both factors were in play, while only earnings assumptions were inefficient before the Great Financial Crisis in 2008/09. The model developed show expected results in terms of relative efficiency for Developed vs. Emerging Markets and for Dow Jones vs. Nasdaq. Parts of academia seems to accept a different definition of market efficiency at micro level compared to macro level. At macro level, a standard “price vs. fair value” definition seems to be generally accepted, while at micro level, a relative “price vs. price” definition seems to be broadly used. The latter way of thinking has historically contributed to price bubbles. Numerous examples of stock prices that deviate significantly from their fair value in days, weeks and months and doubtful methods for measuring efficiency at micro level cast doubt about the micro efficiency claim part of Samuelson’s Dictum.

KEYWORDS

Samuelson’s dictum, stock market inefficiency, overlapping trend model

Cite this paper

Economics World, July-Sep. 2023, Vol.10, No.3, 132-149 doi: 10.17265/2328-7144/2023.03.003

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