I’m trying to understand copy trading platforms from an economics perspective.
In copy trading, one group of users follows the trading decisions of another trader. This seems to create an interesting principal-agent problem. The follower wants risk-adjusted returns and capital preservation, while the copied trader may be incentivized by visibility, rankings, follower count, or performance-based rewards.
How would economists analyze this kind of structure?
Is it mainly an information asymmetry problem?
A moral hazard problem?
A platform design problem?
Or a combination of all three?
I’m especially curious about what kind of ranking or incentive system would reduce excessive risk-taking by strategy providers.
How should economists think about copy trading platforms and principal-agent problems?
byu/Zestyclose_Mail_4569 inAskEconomics
Posted by Zestyclose_Mail_4569