Can the Financial Sector Ever Be Sustainable?

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Theoretical reconciliation

Ultimately I find both neoclassical economic views and behavioral economic not to be necessarily inconsistent with each other. I instead see them as compatible theories because they really describe the same basic principles. Neoclassical view says that no one is superior at making financial decisions than anyone else all want same thing and are equally informed. The behavioral view considers everyone equally inferior in making investment decisions due to social, cognitive and emotional factors that inhibit one’s ability to make accurate decisions. The market still acts the way it does regardless of how it is truly derived. Neoclassical and psychological theories should thus be integrated to provide greater insight and essentially return to a balanced state, akin to where they were originally.

Proposal to increased financial sustainability

Well given that, neoclassical economics consistent of mere quantifiable data and behavioral economics is based on the unavoidable behavior of humans it would appear that coming up with a solution would be difficult under such theoretical conditions however; this would be further from the case. If one examines the undesired aspects of Wall Street, referring specifically to the excessive risk, volatility and overconfidence as a cause for instability, there are quite readily available solutions to solve these problems. The extent to which risk, volatility, overconfidence are cyclical in nature to the creation of economic bubbles, has been clearly studied and quantified.

Examining the monthly stock market and trading volume over forty years shows that higher volume in trading follows months with higher returns (Statman et al., 2006). This inevitably causes overconf...

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occupywallst.org

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