James Symons-Hicks

Economics PhD
James Symons-Hicks
University of California, Berkeley
James Symons-Hicks
I am a PhD student in Economics at UC Berkeley. My research interests are in macroeconomics and household finance.

Previously, I was a Pre-Doctoral Research Assistant at the LSE Centre for Macroeconomics, where my work focused on Fiscal Policy, Productivity & Growth, and Family Macroeconomics. I have also worked as a Research Assistant at University College London (UCL) with a focus on financial decision-making and experimental economics.

I completed my MSc Economics at UCL in September 2024 and my BSc Economics at UCL in 2023.
Household finance Financial decision-making Macroeconomics Financial economics
james.symons-hicks@berkeley.edu LinkedIn GitHub
Selected Research
2026
This Time It's Different: The Role of Women's Employment in Recessions
From Learning to Earning: Financial Literacy and Wealth Accumulation in the UK
Working Paper, January 2026
2025
Q-Learning and Algorithmic Market Making: Loss-free, Collusive, or Competitive Prices?
with Antonio Guarino & Philippe Jehiel
R&R, Review of Financial Studies
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