;

João Cocco

Professor of Finance

BA (Portuguese Catholic University, Lisbon) MA PhD (Harvard)

João Cocco is a Professor of Finance at London Business School, a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research, a Fellow of the Centre for Financial Studies, and a Founding Member of the CEPR Network on Household Finance. 

He holds an MA and a PhD degree in economics from Harvard University. 

João has carried out research on a wide range of topics, including household finance, banking, corporate governance, asset allocation, real estate finance, and pensions. His research has appeared in top finance and economics journals including the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Quarterly Journal of Economics, Journal of Monetary Economics, among others. His work has also been featured in leading newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times, The Times,The Actuary, and Pensions Week, among others. João is an accomplished teacher, who has won a number of teaching awards. He currently teaches Corporate Finance and Real Estate Finance at London Business School. João has held several consulting posts. He is Editorial Board Member of Economic Policy, of The Review of Financial Studies, and of the Journal of Pension Economics and Finance.

Research Awards


  • Excellence in Teaching Award, London Business School, 2014.

  • Best Core Programme Teacher Award, MBA Programme, First Prize, London Business School, 2014.

  • Best Teacher Award, Executive MBA Programme, First Prize, London Business School, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.

  • Best Teacher Award, MBA Programme, Runner-Up, London Business School, 2007, 2008.

  • Junior Faculty Teaching Award, Runner-Up, London Business School, 2005, 2006.

  • Best Core Programme Teacher Award, Executive MBA Programme, First Prize, London Business School, 2004.

  • Junior Faculty Teaching Award, First Prize, London Business School, 2003.

  • PhD Scholarship from the Portuguese National Science Foundation, 1998-1999.

  • PhD Scholarship from the Bank of Portugal, 1994-1998.

  • Prize Bank of Portugal given to the student with the highest GPA of the class of 1993 from the Portuguese Catholic University.

  • Asset pricing theory
  • Household finance
  • Real estate finance and pensions

2022

Housing Consumption and Investment: Evidence from Shared Equity Mortgages

Benetton M; Bracke P; Cocco J F; Garbarino N

Review of Financial Studies 2022 Vol 35:8 p 3525-3573

2021

Structuring mortgages for macroeconomic stability

Cocco J; Campbell J Y; Clara N

Journal of Finance 2021 Vol 76:5 p 2525-2576

2020

Aging in place, housing maintenance and reverse mortgages

Cocco J; Lopes P

Review of Economic Studies 2020 Vol 87:4 p 1799-1836

2015

A model of mortgage default

Campbell J.Y; Cocco J

Journal of Finance 2015 Vol 70:4 p 1495-1554

2014

Corporate pension plans

Cocco J

Annual Review of Financial Economics 2014 Vol 6 p 163-184

2013

Corporate pension plans as takeover deterrents

Cocco J F; Volpin P F

Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis 2013 Vol 48:4 p 1119-1144

Evidence on the benefits of alternative mortgage products

Cocco J

Journal of Finance 2013 Vol 68:4 p 1663-1690

2012

Longevity risk, retirement savings, and financial innovation

Cocco J F; Gomes G

Journal of Financial Economics 2012 Vol 103:3 p 507-529

2011

Defined benefit or defined contribution? A study of pension choices

Cocco J F; Lopes P

Journal of Risk and Insurance 2011 Vol 78:4 p 931-960

2009

Lending relationships in the interbank market

Cocco J F; Gomes F J; Martins N C

Journal of Financial Intermediation 2009 January Vol 18:1 p 24-48

2007

How do house prices affect consumption? Evidence from micro data

Cocco J; Campbell J Y

Journal of Monetary Economics 2007 Vol 54:3 p 591-621

The corporate governance of defined benefit pension plans: evidence from the United Kingdom

Cocco J; Volpin P

Financial Analysts Journal 2007 Vol 63 p 70-83

2005

Consumption and portfolio choice over the life cycle

Gomes F; Cocco J; Maenhout P

Review of Financial Studies 2005 Summer Vol 18:2 p 491-533

Portfolio choice in the presence of housing

Cocco J

Review of Financial Studies 2005 Summer Vol 18:2 p 535-567

2003

Household risk management and optimal mortgage choice

Cocco J; Campbell J Y

Quarterly Journal of Economics 2003 Nov Vol 118:4 p 1449-1494

2001

Investing retirement wealth: a life-cycle model

Cocco J; Gomes F; et al.

in Campbell J Y and Feldstein M eds., Risk aspects of social security reform, University of Chicago Press, 2001

Stock market mean reversion and the optimal equity allocation of a long lived investor

Campbell J Y; Gomes F; Cocco J; et al.

European Finance Review 2001 Vol 5:3 p 269-292

1993

Price formation in the Portuguese Interbank Money Market

Cocco J

Quarterly Review, Bank of Portugal 1993 Vol 15

2020

When discounted rates end: the cost of taking action in the mortgage market

Belgibayeva A; Bono T; Bracke P; Cocco J; Majer T

Financial Conduct Authority

2019

Evidence on expectations of household finances

Cocco J; Gomes F; Lopes P

Social Sciences Research Network

Housing consumption and investment : evidence from shared equity mortgages

Benetton M; Bracke P; Cocco J F; Garbarino N

Bank of England staff working paper

2018

Housing affordability and shared equity mortgages

Cocco J; Benetton M; Bracke P; Garbarino N

Working Paper

Structuring mortgages for macroeconomic stability

Campbell J Y; Clara N; Cocco J

Social Sciences Research Network

2016

An analysis of consumer debt restructuring policies

Clara N; Cocco J

Society for Economic Dynamics Meeting Papers

Expenditures and financial well-being

Cocco J; Gomes F; Lopes Paula

Working Paper

2014

Reverse mortgage design

Cocco J; Lopes P

Working Paper

2003

Hedging house price risk with incomplete markets

Cocco J

Social Sciences Research Network

2019

Housing Consumption and Investment: Evidence from Shared Equity Mortgages

Benetton M; Bracke P; Cocco J; Garbarino N

Social Sciences Research Network


Teaching portfolio

Our teaching offering is updated annually. Faculty and programme material are subject to change.