How to beat the dumbo in your head

It's all too easy to let fear lead you into making bad investment decisions. Phil Oakley explains how you can avoid falling into this trap.

The economics profession hardly has much to shout about these days. The financial crisis exposed its shortcomings and gave us cast-iron proof that human beings are bad at making economic predictions.

But one of the most useful things it has offered is rich material for the study of behavioural economics and finance how human behaviour and emotions have a big impact on the financial world.

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Phil spent 13 years as an investment analyst for both stockbroking and fund management companies.

 

After graduating with a MSc in International Banking, Economics & Finance from Liverpool Business School in 1996, Phil went to work for BWD Rensburg, a Liverpool based investment manager. In 2001, he joined ABN AMRO as a transport analyst. After a brief spell as a food retail analyst, he spent five years with ABN's very successful UK Smaller Companies team where he covered engineering, transport and support services stocks.

 

In 2007, Phil joined Halbis Capital Management as a European equities analyst. He began writing for MoneyWeek in 2010.