SOLIDITY AND IMMUTABILITY OF BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE THEORY IN CAPITAL MARKET INVESTMENT: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Keywords: Behavioural Finance, Random Walk, Stock Return, Investors, Autocorrelation Test.

Abstract

This study evaluated the argument that the capital market is efficient such that all information from both the past, present, and unpublished have already been reflected in the market price of security as a guide for investors in the market and that the behavior of the same investors could affect the performance of the market. To address the above concern, the researcher employed various suitable final metric tools such as the Normality/Random Walk test, Variance ratio test, EGARCH models, etc., to analyze the daily historical data from prominent capital markets, each from all the continents around the world. From the results of these tools employed, none of the markets under study follow the random walk theory within the scope of the study. The results of EGARCH and volatility clustering tests also revealed that all the countries under study exhibited the property of stock returns distribution called volatility clustering or volatility pooling, a kind of heteroscedasticity, suggesting the nonconformity of the random walk theory. The failure of the various results to corroborate the random walk theory shows that investors are rational and unpredictable. These results have rightly positioned the behavioral finance theory as a veritable tool that can guide economic agents on capital market investment decisions. That means the behavior of investors makes share prices deviate from the economic fundamentals or assumptions. Considering the above findings, the researcher boldly advocates for a paradigm shift to behavioral finance theory, where emotions and psychology or mindsets of investors influence the investment decision-making process and financial markets, hence a veritable guide for decisions on stock market investments. Therefore, the researcher suggested that emotional and psychological checks be carried out on all stock market investors, mainly when an innovation or new policy is promulgated.

JEL Classification Codes: C32, C58, G14, G41.

References

Adebanjo, J. F., Awonusi, F., & Eseyin, O. (2018). The weak form market efficiency and the Nigerian stock exchange. Afro Asian Journal of Social Science, 9(4), 1-17.

Afego, P. (2012). Weak form efficiency of the Nigerian stock market: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 2(3), 340-347.

Ajao, M. G., & Osayuwu, R. (2012). Testing the weak form of efficient market hypothesis in Nigerian capital market. Accounting and Finance Research, 1(1), 169-179.

Awais, M., Laber M. F., Rasheed, N., & Khursheed, A. (2016). Impact of financial literacy and investment experience on risk tolerance and investment decisions: Empirical evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 6(1), 3–79.

Aydin, S., Özer, G., & Arasil, Ö. (2005). Customer loyalty and the effect of switching costs as a moderator variable. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 23(1), 89–103.

Babajide A. A., & Adetiloye K. A. (2012). Investors’ behavioural biases and the security market: An empirical study of the Nigerian security market. Accounting and Finance Research, 1(1), 219–229.

Bachellier, L. (1900). Theorie de la Paris: Gauthier - Villars. Reprinted in English (Bones trans.) in Cootner PH edited 1964. The random character of stock market prices, MITpress.

Bailey, R., & Ball S. (2006). An exploration of the meanings of hotel brand equity. Service Industries Journal, 26(1), 15-38.

Bakar, S., & Yi, A. N. C. (2016). The impact of psychological factors on investors’ decision making in Malaysian stock market: A case of Klang Valley and Pahang. Procedia Economics and Finance, 35, 319–328.

Baker, H. K., Kumar, S., Goyal, N., & Gaur, V. (2019). How financial literacy and demographic variables relate to behavioral biases. Managerial Finance, 45, 124–146.

Barberis, N., & Thaler, R. (2003). A survey of behavioral finance. Handbook of the Economics of Finance, 1, 1053–1128.

Bhalla, V. K. (2011). Investment management: Security analysis and portfolio management. New Delhi: S. Chad and Company Ltd.

Bhatia, A., Chandani, A., & Chhateja, J. (2020). Robo advisory and its potential in addressing the behavioral biases of investors: A qualitative study in Indian context. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 25, 1–9.

Bikhchandani, S., Hirshleifer, D., & Welch, I. (1992). A theory of fads, fashion, custom, and cultural change as informational cascades. Journal of Political Economy, 100(5), 992–1026.

Black, F. (1976). Studies of stock market volatility changes. Proceedings of the American Statistical Association, Business and economics Section, 177-181.

Bodie, Z., Kane, A., Marcus, A. J., & Mohanty, P. (2013). Investment (8th editon). New Delhi:McGraw Hill Education.

Brealey, R. A., & Myers, S. C. (2003). Principles of corporate finance. New Delhi: McGraw Hill.

Brooks, C. (2008). Introductory econometrics for finance (2nd ed). New York: Cambridge University Press

Chien-Chong, L., Jung-De, L., & Chi-Chuan, L. (2010). Stock prices and the efficient market hypothesis: Evidence from a panel stationary test with structural breaks. Japan and the World Economy, 22(1), 49-58.

Christie, A. A. (1982). The stochastic behavior of common stock variance-value, leverage, and interest rate effects. Journal of Financial Economics, 10(4), 407-423.

Cooray, V., & Wickramasighe, G. (2007). The efficiency of emerging stock markets: Empirical evidence from the South Asian region. Journal of Developing Areas, 41(1), 171-183.

Copur, Z. (2015). Handbook on research on behavioural finance and investment strategies: Decision making in the financial industry. USA: Business Science Reference.

Cuthbertson, K., & Nitzsche, K. (2005). Investments: Spot and derivatives market. New York: JohnWilley and Sons Ltd.

Dimson, E., & Mussavian, M. (1998). A brief of history of market efficiency. European Financial Management, 4(1), 91-193.

Fama, E. (1965). The behaviour of stock market prices. Journal of Business, 38, January edition, 34-49.

Fama, E. F. (1976). Reply to efficient capital markets: Comments. Journal of Finance, 31(1), 143-145.

Fama, E. F. (1970). Efficient capital markets: A review of theory and empirical work. Journal of Finance, 25(1), 83-417.

Frydman, C., Barberis, N., Camerer, C., Bossaerts, P., & Rangel, A. (2014). Using neural data to test a theory of investor behavior: An application to realization utility. The Journal of Finance, 69(2), 907–946.

Gay, R. D. (2016). Effect of macroeconomic variables on stock market returns for four emerging market economics: Brazil, Russia, India and China. International Business and Economics Research Journal, 15(3), 119-126.

Gimba, V. K. (2012). Testing the weak form efficiency market hypothesis: Evidence from Nigeria stock market. CBN Journal of Applied Statistics, 3(1), 117-136.

Goudarzi, H. (2013). Volatility means reversion and stock market efficiency. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 3(13), 1681-1692.

Jain, R., Jain, P., & Jain, C. (2015). Behavioral biases in the decision making of individual investors. IUP Journal of Management Research, 14(3), 7–27.

Kartašova, J. (2013). Factors forming irrational Lithuanian individual investors’ behaviour. Verslo Sistemos ir Ekonomika, 3(1), 76–88.

Kendall, M. G. (1953). The analysis of economic time series, Prices. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 96, 11–25.

Kim, K., Ryu, D., & Yang, H. (2019). Investor sentiment, stock returns, and analyst recommendation changes: The KOSPI stock market. Investment Analysts Journal, 48(2), 89–101.

Kumar, R. (2017). Perspective on strategic finance: Dubai: Strategic Financial Management Casebook.

Lee S. C., Lin, C. T., & Yang,C. K. (2011). The asymmetric behavior and procyclical impact of asset correlations. Journal of Banking & Finance, 35(10), 2559–2568.

López-Cabarcos, M. Á., Pérez-Pico, A. M., Vázquez-Rodríguez, P., & López-Pérez, M. L. (2020). Investor sentiment in the theoretical field of behavioural finance. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 33(1), 2101–2119.

Malkiel. (1973). A Random walk down wall street: The Time-Tested strategy for successful investing. New York: W.W Norton and Co.

Muradoglu, G., & Harvey, N. (2012). Behavioural finance: The role of psychological factors in financial decision. Review of behavioural Finance, 4(2), 68-86.

Noussair, C. N., Trautmann, S. T., & Van de Kuilen, G. (2014). Higher order risk attitudes, demographics, and financial decisions. Review of Economic Studies, 81(1), 325-355.

Ogbulu, O. M. (2016). Weak-form market efficiency, estimation interval and the Nigerian Stock Exchange: Empirical evidence. International Journal of Economic and Business, 5(1), 84-116.

Olowe, R. A. (1999). Weak form efficiency of the Nigerian stock market: further evidence. African development review, 11(1), 54-68.

Pahlevi, R. W., & Oktaviani, I. I. (2018). Determinants of individual investor behaviour in stock investment decision. Accounting and Financial Review, 1(2), 53-61.

Parveen, S., Satti, Z. W., Subhan Q. A., & Jamil, S. (2020). Exploring market Overreaction, investors’ sentiments and investment decisions in an emerging stock market. Borsa Istanbul Review, 20(3), 224–235.

Pearson, K. (1905. The problem of Random Walk. Nature; 72, 294-34.

Rayleagh, L. (1905). A Random walk. Nature, 73, 174.

Reily, F. K. (1989). Investment analysis and portfolio management, Hinsdale, Illinois: Dryden Press.

Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., Jaffe, J., & Jordan, B.D. (2009). Modern financial management (8th edition). New Delhi: McGraw Hill.

Rossi, M., & Guardi, A. (2018). Efficient market hypothesis and stock market anomalies: Empirical evidence in four European countries. The Journal of Applied Business Research, 34(1), 183-192.

Rossi, M. (2016). The capital asset pricing model: A critical literature review. Global Business and Economics Review, 18(5), 604-617.

Saba, A., & Syed, S. P. (2014). Theory of behavioural finance and its application to property market: A change of paradigm. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting, 5(13), 132-139.

Schiffman, M., Glass, A. G., Wentzensen, N., Rush, B. B., Castle, P. E., Scott, D. R., & Burk, R. D. (2011). A long-term prospective study of type-specific human papillomavirus infection and risk of cervical neoplasia among 20,000 women in the Portland Kaiser Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Biomarkers, 20(7), 1398–1409.

Sewell, M. (2010). Behavioural finance (revised). London: University of Cambridge.

Shah, S. S. H., Xinping, X., Khan M. A., & Harjan, S. A. (2018). Investor and manager overconfidence bias and firm value: Micro-level evidence from the Pakistan equity market. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 8(5), 190–199.

Sharpe, W. F., Alexander, G. J., & Bailey, J. V. (1999). Investments. (6th Edition). Upper saddle river: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Shefrin, H., & Statman, M. (1985). The disposition to sell winners too early and ride losers too long: Theory and evidence. The Journal of Finance, 40(3), 777–790.

Trifan, R. (2020). Behavioural biases and stock market reaction: Evidence from six post-communist countries. Journal of Economics, 68(8), 811–826.

Tversky, A. & Kahneman, D. (1992). Advances in prospect theory: Cumulative representative of uncertainty. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 5, 297-323.

Wong, K., & Kwong, K. (1984). The behaviour of Hong Kong stock prices. Applied Economics, 16, 905–917.

Zahera, S. A., & Bansal, R. (2018). Do investors exhibit behavioral biases in investment decision making? A systematic review. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 10(2), 210–251.

Published
2023-08-27
How to Cite
Agwu, E. C. (2023). SOLIDITY AND IMMUTABILITY OF BEHAVIOURAL FINANCE THEORY IN CAPITAL MARKET INVESTMENT: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. American Finance & Banking Review, 8(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.46281/amfbr.v8i1.2071
Section
Original Articles/Short Communications