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Behavioral Finance

Definition

Behavioral finance is the study of how psychological influences affect financial decision-making and market outcomes. It posits that individuals do not always act rationally, as traditional economic theory assumes, but are instead swayed by cognitive biases and emotional responses. Understanding these behavioral patterns is crucial for interpreting market movements and investor sentiment, particularly in volatile asset classes. This field provides a framework for analyzing why certain market phenomena occur, which might otherwise seem anomalous.