Understanding the Investor

In finance, understanding investors and their motivations is key for any business and policy-maker. Analyzing financial decisions and investor behavior can shed light on the major characteristics and variables behind trading decisions, giving researchers and investors a better understanding of the influences that affect the stock market. Understanding the Investor: A Maltese Study of Risk and Behavior in Financial Investment Decisions offers a nuanced view of the Maltese investor and the Malta Stock Exchange. In this in-depth study, author Antonietta Bonello explores the major risk appetite and tolerance characteristics of decision-taking for local financial investors. With foreign direct investment (FDI) growing by around 21% between 2014-2017, Malta's investment activities can be seen and used as an example of actual investment decisions taken by active investors. Looking across investor expectations, return of income, risk and loss aversions, disposition effect, financial literacy and overconfidence, Bonello offers an exciting perspective on investors in Malta, and the implications of this on the wider financial world. For individual investors and researchers in the area of personal finance, this new case study offers an in-depth look at investor behavior, allowing readers to understand the motivations behind emerging investment trends and to draw far-reaching conclusions on how best to prepare for upcoming challenges in financial investment.

Antonietta Bonello has over thirty years of experience in a variety of sectors, from small business management, to public administration. Her research is in Insurance and Risk Management in public and private institutions. Simon Grima is the Head of the Insurance Department and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta. He served as the President of the Malta Association of Risk Management (MARM) and Malta Association of Compliance, and has over 25 years of experience in in Financial Services, Internal Controls, Investments and IT.  Jonathan Spiteri is a Resident Academic within the Department of Insurance at the University of Malta. With experience in both the private sector and in academia, he is currently involved in the R2Pi Horizon 2020 project, which examines Circular Economy models in Europe.