CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Mammadov, Mehman |
|---|---|
| Title | Understanding Investor Behavior Across Regions |
| Summary | This study explores regional differences in retail investor behavior by comparing the Middle East (specifically Saudi Arabia and the UAE) with Western markets (the United States and Europe). The analysis draws on internal behavioral data from BrokerChooser’s platform and supplements it with external sources, including Morningstar, Refinitiv, Statista, and national financial reports. Three hypotheses are tested, focusing on asset class preferences, geographic market bias, and risk appetite. The findings support the hypothesis that Middle Eastern investors exhibit stronger preferences for conservative and tangible assets such as real estate and gold, and a notable home bias toward local or regional markets. While internal platform data indicate lower engagement with high-volatility products, the absence of detailed product-level breakdowns limits the robustness of conclusions regarding risk tolerance. These results highlight the influence of cultural, religious, and financial literacy factors on investor decision-making. They also offer practical implications for digital investment platforms seeking to improve regional personalization features and recommend enhancements such as deeper profiling, improved asset labeling, and localized survey tools. |
| Supervisor | Schindele Ibolya |
| Department | Economics MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/mammadov_mehman.pdf |
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