The Efficient Markets Hypothesis and Modern Finance with Nobel Prize Winner Eugene Fama

Jon Hartley and Eugene Fama discuss Gene’s career at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business since the 1960s and helping to start Dimensional Fund Advisers (DFA) in the 1980s, fat tails, the rise of modern portfolio theory, efficient markets versus behavioral finance, factor-based investing, the role of intermediaries, and whether asset prices are elastic versus inelastic with respect to demand.

Recorded on March 14, 2025.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Each episode of Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century, a video podcast series and the official podcast of the Hoover Economic Policy Working Group, focuses on getting into the weeds of economics, finance, and public policy on important current topics through one-on-one interviews. Host Jon Hartley asks guests about their main ideas and contributions to academic research and policy. The podcast is titled after Milton Friedman‘s famous 1962 bestselling book Capitalism and Freedom, which after 60 years, remains prescient from its focus on various topics which are now at the forefront of economic debates, such as monetary policy and inflation, fiscal policy, occupational licensing, education vouchers, income share agreements, the distribution of income, and negative income taxes, among many other topics.

For more information about Capitalism and Freedom, visit: https://www.hoover.org/podcast/capita...

Or watch our previous episodes here:    • Capitalism and Freedom in the 21st Century  

ABOUT THE GUEST SPEAKER:

Eugene F. Fama, 2013 Nobel laureate in economic sciences, is widely recognized as the "father of modern finance." His research is well-known in both the academic and investment communities. He is strongly identified with research on markets, particularly the efficient markets hypothesis. He focuses much of his research on the relation between risk and expected return and its implications for portfolio management. His work has transformed the way finance is viewed and conducted.

Fama is a prolific author, having written two books and published more than 100 articles in academic journals. He is among the most cited researchers in economics.

In addition to the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, Fama was the first elected fellow of the American Finance Association in 2001. He is also a fellow of the Econometric Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was the first recipient of three major prizes in finance: the Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics (2005), the Morgan Stanley American Finance Association Award for Excellence in Finance (2007), and the Onassis Prize in Finance (2009). Other awards include the 1982 Chaire Francqui (Belgian National Science Prize), the 2006 Nicholas Molodovsky Award from the CFA Institute recognizing his work in portfolio theory and asset pricing, and the 2007 Fred Arditti Innovation Award given by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center for Innovation. He was awarded doctor of law degrees by the University of Rochester and DePaul University, a doctor honoris causa by the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and a doctor of science honoris causa by Tufts University.

Fama earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 1960, followed by an MBA and PhD from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (now the Booth School) in 1964. He joined the GSB faculty in 1963.

Fama is a father of four and a grandfather of ten. He is an avid golfer, an opera buff, and a former windsurfer and tennis player. He is a member of Malden Catholic High School's athletic hall of fame.

__________
The opinions expressed on this channel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University.

© 2025 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University.

🔔 Subscribe for more discussions: ‪@HooverInstitution‬
👍 Like and share this video!

🌐 Follow us on social media:
• Facebook:   / hooverinststanford  
• LinkedIn:   / hoover-institution-at-stanford-university  
• Instagram:   / hooverinstitution  
• TikTok:   / hooverinstitution  
• X:   / hooverinst