Working Paper

Diversification, Risk Aversion and Expectation in a Holdout Scenario

Wolfgang Eggert, Maximilian Stephan, Janine Temme, Handirk von Ungern-Sternberg
CESifo, Munich, 2015

CESifo Working Paper No. 5527

We argue a holdout is not a destructive investor behaviour but a rational investment decision. This investment decision is characterised by the mean-variance approach. We investigate intercreditor conflict by diverse portfolio structure. We demonstrate that at some point during the Greek (2012) and Argentine (2005) debt restructuring programs it was reasonable for the investor to hold out. This model shows that the investment decision is based on the portfolio structure, risk aversion and expected payment of the debtor, so there is no free-rider behaviour. On the contrary, the investor harms herself when playing a destructive or uncooperative strategy.

CESifo Category
Monetary Policy and International Finance
Public Finance
Keywords: sovereign debt, holdout, mean-variance approach, collective action clause
JEL Classification: G180, H500, H630