Invest in the best chief

If you are an investor, picking a company with a boss who’s been married twice seems to be the ideal.  From The Economist April 21st 2012 print edition:

Bosses behaving badly

Beware of single or oft-married bosses

Women make better traders

Testosterone makes male traders more susceptible to “irrational exuberance”.  From the Sep. 24th, 2011 print edition of The Economist:

Traders’ brains: Rogue hormones

Bad trade? Blame the adrenal cortex

Demographics affects stock/bond markets

According to the article below, stock and bond markets are affected by the demographics of the country. From Globe and Mail, May 19, 2011:

Markets and the lure of a demographic dividend

By DAVID PARKINSON

As the world ages, a new report suggests the place for investors to be in the decade ahead may well be Ireland, Spain or Greece

Rational financial decision making

We don’t make rational decisions, and that’s especially bad for us when it comes to our financial health.  The article below, from Benefits Canada, explores this:

Keeping feelings out of financial decision-making

The nature of wealth

Financial assets are  a claim on real wealth, not outright wealth.  From the October 8th 2009 edition of The Economist:

Buttonwood

The nature of wealth

The world confused financial assets with real ones

Why Smart People Often Do Stupid Things

Trying to explain the plentiful financial screw-ups that recently have come to light. From Benefits Canada:

Deconstructing “Stupidity”: Why Smart People Often Do Stupid Things

Investing or on game shows, humans act irrationally

From the Investment Executive’s December 2007 edition:

Take a big risk, add a big reward and mix with optimism

Game-show contestants display the same, unfathomable behaviour as investment decision-makers

Investor behaviour

Power of investors’ behaviour in influencing investment outcomes:

Part 1: Equilibrium-Based Investing

Part 2: Comprehending Risk

Part 3: Behaving Badly