Investment Behavior among Accounting / Finance Professionals in Sri Lanka

Purpose: Investigating investment behavior of rational investors is crucial, as it helps to determine the performance of financial markets and will be more valuable to policymakers and financial providers. This study examines the investment behavior among finance/accounting professionals in Sri Lanka, considering the aspects of socio-economic and demographic factors, financial risk tolerance, concerns, and motives.

Methodology: The study was conducted with 150 chartered accountants who are currently residing within Sri Lanka, selected from the “Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka” by using simple random sampling. Data was gathered through a questionnaire. The initial data analysis was done through frequencies and Pearson’s correlation, while Ordered Logit Regression was used for further understanding the results and to test the likelihood of outcomes.

Findings: Concerns, motives, and financial risk tolerance levels depicted a positive and significant relationship with the investment behavior, whereas demographics and socioeconomic factors show a negative correlation.

Originality: The current study focuses on financial professionals who are highly financially literate, and how their investment behavior is influenced, as there were only a few attempts that have been made to address topics relevant to the current study within Sri Lanka considering different respondent samples. However, there were no research studies found out analysing on investment behavior of finance/accounting professionals who can be more rational when taking their investment decisions than normal household individuals. Therefore, this study provides an in-depth analysis addressing these gaps.