TITLE: In a Banach algebra, do ab and ba have almost the same exponential spectrum?
QUESTION [21 upvotes]: Let $A$ be a complex Banach algebra with identity 1. Define the exponential spectrum $e(x)$ of an element $x\in A$ by $$e(x)= \{\lambda\in\mathbb{C}: x-\lambda1 \notin G_1(A)\},$$ where $G_1(A)$ is the connected component of the group of invertibles $G(A)$ that contains the identity.

Is it true that $e(ab)\cup\{0\} = e(ba)\cup\{0\}$ for all $a,b \in A$?

Equivalently, is it true that 
$1-ab$ is in $G_1(A)$ if and only if $1-ba$ is in $G_1(A)$, for all $a,b \in A$?
Note: The usual spectrum has this property.
Just an additional note:
We have $e(ab)\cup\{0\} = e(ba)\cup\{0\}$ for all $a,b \in A$ if
1) The group of invertibles of $A$ is connected, because then the exponential spectrum of any element is just the usual spectrum of that element.
2) The set $Z(A)G(A) = \{ab: a \in Z(A), b\in G(A)\}$ is dense in $A$, where $Z(A)$ is the center of $A$. (One can prove this). In particular, we have $e(ab)\cup\{0\} = e(ba)\cup\{0\}$ for all $a,b \in A$ if the invertibles are dense in $A$.
3) $A$ is commutative, clearly.
But what about other Banach algebras? Can someone provide a counterexample?

REPLY [5 votes]: Just to update this: a negative solution was recently given by Klaja and Ransford. See arXiv 1510.08109.