Investing in cryptocurrencies with information costs

Abstract

Life cycle investment models predict much higher participation and investment in cryptocurrencies than found empirically. We reconcile these differences by introducing information costs for cryptocurrency market participation to a standard consumption-investment life cycle model. Only with increasing per-period cryptocurrency market participation costs, are we able to simulate the observed cryptocurrency market participation patterns. The fact that neither fixed entry nor non-increasing per-period costs are able to replicate the survey findings suggests that other reasons, besides information costs, should be considered to explain lower-than-predicted investing in cryptocurrency.