Behavioral Finance: A Survey of Financial Literature

Abstract

Using academic studies and financial literature from over 40 researchers, I investigate if behavioral finance causes investors to not always act in a rational manner. In this thesis, I review the literature on investor behavior and outline the situational factors that contribute to investment decisions that are not consistent with the theory of rational expectations. In particular, I synthesize the departure from the theoretical standard due to gender bias, risk-taking, over confidence based on gender as well as institutional compared to individual investors, investor biases, external environmental influences, and lastly, herd behavior.