Handbook of Behavioral Finance

Book excerpt: The Handbook of Behavioral Finance is a comprehensive, topical and concise source of cutting-edge research on recent developments in behavioral finance. The Handbook is divided into three areas of interest. The first - Behavioral Biases - includes discussions on herding in the market, information processing and the disposition effect in investment decisions. In the second section - Behavior in the Investment Process - topics explored include the effects of higher transaction costs on traders' behavior, investor sentiment, overconfidence and active management, and behavior effects on forecasts. The final section - Global Behavior - looks at the effects of various aspects of behavioral finance in international markets including Malaysia, Finland, Australia and Brazil. Consolidating a colossal amount of research into one volume, this Handbook will stimulate new interdisciplinary research for academics, build a body of knowledge about psychological influences on market behavior for finance students, and give practitioners a better understanding of psychological influences on the markets in order to improve investment decision making.