1
Return

Financial Literacy and International Portfolio Diversification

delete2025-12-29
delete0
delete
OA
AI
S
Simona Barone *
N
Noemi Oggero
M
Marina Damilano
DOI:10.1016/j.iref.2025.104876delete
deleteOriginal
deleteShare
deleteSave
View PDF
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Despite the well-documented benefits of international portfolio diversification, empirical studies highlight a persistent investors’ preference for domestic assets, a phenomenon known as home bias. This paper investigates how financial literacy is related to household investment behavior, with a focus on its association with home bias and participation in international financial markets. We use representative Italian data collected in 2020 by the Bank of Italy through the Survey of Household Income and Wealth (SHIW) to explore the relationship between financial literacy and international investing. We find that basic financial literacy significantly increases both the likelihood of investing in foreign markets and the share of the financial portfolio allocated to international assets. Specifically, being financially literate is associated with a 9.9 percentage point increase in the probability of investing internationally and a 6.2 percentage point increase in the share of the portfolio allocated to foreign investments, among households that own financial assets. These findings highlight the critical role of financial literacy in mitigating investment risk through international diversification, hence fostering resilient investment portfolios.
Keywords:
Home bias
Financial literacy
International portfolio investments
Investor behavior
AI Summary

AI Summary

Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.

Journal

International Review of Economics and Finance cover
International Review of Economics and Finance
IF:
5.6
Papers:
992
Citations:
1.1W

Organization

D
department of management and cerp
Scholars:
1
Papers: 1
Citations: 0
D
department of management
Scholars:
289
Papers: 186
Citations: 0
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers