Despite being a well-documented topic, dividends remain polarizing in academia. Whilst early 21st century research suggested that the use of dividends would be overtaken by stock repurchases recent reports indicate that the use of dividends is increasing. One theorized cause for this discrepancy is the Local Clientele Effect. In order to examine local firms’ dividend decisions two hypotheses were formed to test the main positions on the matter: 1, the age of investors affect payout policy and 2, firm characteristics affect payout policy. With the use of a multiple variable linear regression our results indicated that the age of investors did have a significant positive effect on dividends and that firm size and Book-to-Market ratio had significant positive effects on dividends. The conclusions drawn from the results were that while local clientele effect exists to some degree on the Swedish stock market firm characteristics also play a role in firm payout policy.

Investerare har under en lång tid försökt reda ut huruvida det går att slå marknaden. Vilket perspektiv som investeraren har med avseende på möjligheten att slå marknaden blir aktuellt vid val av investeringsalternativ. Ett vanligt förekommande alternativ är fonder där flöden av kapital är beroende av faktorer på makronivå. Hur en investerare väljer att placera sitt kapital är även påverkat av den upplevda risknivån som innefattar diverse faktorer. Syftet med uppsatsen var att studera hur nettoflödet av investeringsfonder korrelerade med konjunkturläget, som en faktor på makronivå, under perioden 1999 till 2017. Därtill observerades vilka faktorer och risker som påverkade investerare vid val av investeringsfond. En kvantitativ forskningsstrategi användes och två undersökningar genomfördes, en analys av historisk data samt en enkätundersökning. Resultatet visade att det inte återfanns några starka korrelationer mellan investeringsfondernas nettoflöden och konjunkturläget. Därtill påvisades att de observerade faktorerna påverkade i högre- eller lägre grad, dock var spridningen mellan faktorerna jämna. Den risk som tolererades mest var risken som enskilda företag stod inför. Sammanfattningsvis noteras att nettoflöden till fonder är en komplicerad process som sannolikt är beroende flertalet variabler. Undersökningen resulterade därutöver i en förståelse att varken risk eller diverse faktorer sticker nämnvärt ut i en investerares val av fond. / Investors have for a long time tried to find out whether the market can be beaten. What perspective the investor has with regard to the possibility of beating the market becomes relevant when choosing an investment alternative. One commo alternative is funds where capital flows are dependent on factors at amacro level. How an investor chooses to place his or her capitalis also influenced by the perceived level of risk that includes various factors. The purpose of the paper was to study how the netflow of investment funds correlated with the businesscycle,as a factor at the macrolevel,during the period 1999 to 2017. In addition, it was observed which factors and risks influenced investors in the choice of investment fund. A quantitative research strategy was used and two surveys were conducted, an analysis of historical data and a questionnaire survey. The results howed that there were no strong correlations between the investment funds' netflows and the businesscycle. In addition, it was demonstrated that the observed factors affected to a higher-or lower degree, however, the spread between the factors was even.The most tolerable risk was the risk faced by individual companies. In summary, it is noted that netflows to funds are a complicated process that is probably dependent on several variables. In addition, the paper resulted in an understanding that neither risk nor various factors stands out in an investor's choice of fund.

Sverige har ett för världen unikt pensionssystem i det att systemet tar hänsyn till den ekonomiska och demografiska utvecklingen samt att det i systemets konstruktion finns ett pensionsreservsystem med fyra separata fonder, AP-fonder. Dessa fyra fonder som även går under benämningen buffertfonder har en viktig funktion att fylla när det gäller den långsiktiga finansieringen och i sin roll att fungera som buffert i tider av stora påfrestningar för pensionssystemet. Denna studie undersöker och analyserar 1-4 AP-fondernas uttalade strategi om att diversifiera sina totalportföljer i syfte att få en mer robust portfölj som bättre kan tåla finansiella påfrestningar. En del i AP-fondernas strategi för att uppnå diversifieringsfördelar är att låta sina fastighetsportföljer växa och ta en större andel av totalportföljen. Studien undersöker vilka konsekvenserna har blivit för fastighetsportföljernas andel av totalportföljen till följd av den uttalade diversifieringsstrategin samt hur utfallet har varit för dessa fastighetsportföljer under 2003-2012. Författarna har utifrån insamlad kvantitativ och kvalitativ data utfört beräkningar och sammanställt resultatet i form av tabeller och figurer. Fondernas fastighetsportföljer har även utvärderats utifrån ett externt jämförelseindex, IPD-index. Studien undersöker även buffertfondernas diversifieringsstrategi ur ett agent-principalperspektiv för att kunna utvärdera huruvida fastighetsinvesteringarna som ett diversifieringsverktyg är till gagn för alla blivande och nuvarande pensionärer.Studiens resultat visar att alla fyra undersökta AP-fonders fastighetsportföljer vuxit under 2003-2012 och att deras andel av totalportföljen ökat. Fastighetsportföljernas genomsnittliga utfall under perioden har samtliga överträffat utfallen för totalportföljerna exklusive fastighetsportfölj. Effekten av fastighetsportföljernas utfall på totalportföljen har dock inte inneburit att fastighetsportföljernas bidrag signifikant har gjort att det totala utfallet blivit procentuellt högre. Denna förhållandevis marginella påverkan kan delvis förklaras med att fastighetsportföljernas storlek varit så liten och att AP-fonderna enligt beskrivna teorier troligtvis är underinvesterade i tillgångsslaget fastigheter. Vid jämförelse med IPD-index presterar AP-fondernas fastighetsportföljer under2003-2012 bättre än det jämförande indexet, vilket i sig skulle innebära att målsättningen om att AP-fonderna i sina utfall ska avvika positivt från jämförande indexförvaltning är uppfyllt.Sett ur ett agent-principalperspektiv visar studiens resultat att den diversifieringsstrategi som AP-fonderna kommunicerar; att låta fastighetsportföljerna växa för att uppnå diversifieringsvinster, är en i praktiken framgångsrik strategi som gagnar alla blivande och nuvarande pensionärer. Detta sagt med den reservation att fastighetsportföljernas avkastningsbidrag till och påverkan på totalportföljen procentuellt varit marginell och att strategin därför inte i nuläget kan definieras som tydligt framgångsrik på grund av fastighetsportföljernas storlek.

<p>Listed corporations achieve effectiveness through segmentation of investors. Categorization of like- minded investors diminishes goal incongruence. This thesis aim to examine an Investor models accuracy, provided by a Professor Emeritus in Economic Psychology in 2001. This model segments investors as active, passive, speculative and naive investors.</p><p> </p><p>This thesis has a demarcation to private investors on the Swedish stock market. It has a deductive and qualitative approach as the purpose is to study the Investor model. In order to obtain empirical data semi- structured interviews were conducted with Avanza Bank, Handelsbanken, Aktiespararna and Karl- Erik Wärneryd, the author of the Investor model. All interviews were carried out by telephone except the face- to- face interview with Karl- Erik Wärneryd.</p><p> </p><p>The conclusion of this thesis is that the Investor model is not universal. The Investor model needs to be modified by the purpose of the sector of the application in order to be accurate. Different factors have influenced investors since 2001 which has subsequently had an effect on the Investor groups’ characteristics.</p>

Listed corporations achieve effectiveness through segmentation of investors. Categorization of like- minded investors diminishes goal incongruence. This thesis aim to examine an Investor models accuracy, provided by a Professor Emeritus in Economic Psychology in 2001. This model segments investors as active, passive, speculative and naive investors.   This thesis has a demarcation to private investors on the Swedish stock market. It has a deductive and qualitative approach as the purpose is to study the Investor model. In order to obtain empirical data semi- structured interviews were conducted with Avanza Bank, Handelsbanken, Aktiespararna and Karl- Erik Wärneryd, the author of the Investor model. All interviews were carried out by telephone except the face- to- face interview with Karl- Erik Wärneryd.   The conclusion of this thesis is that the Investor model is not universal. The Investor model needs to be modified by the purpose of the sector of the application in order to be accurate. Different factors have influenced investors since 2001 which has subsequently had an effect on the Investor groups’ characteristics.

Background: Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, MiFID, was implemented in Swedish law in 2007 and aimed to increase competition of the securities market in order to achieve efficiency and lower transaction costs and to enhance investor protection. Another aim was to increase confidence in the market. After the implementation of MiFID some doubts had been highlighted regarding its intentional effects. This evoked the authors’ interest to examine the directive’s effects and its impact on investors’ trust. Aim: To examine how various participants in the Swedish securities market experienced changes since the implementation of MiFID in 2007, and its impact on the securities market and minor investors' trust. Method: The study applied a qualitative method with a deductive approach to describe, interpret and understand the problem area. To examine what the market participants think about different events following the implementation of MiFID, semi-structured interviews were used. Furthermore, the participants were divided into three categories: investors, regulatory and investment firms, to represent the Swedish securities market. These are represented by the Aktiespararna, Finansinspektionen, Fondhandlarna and Nordea. Result &amp; conclusions: The study indicates that some of the problems in securities market are related to minor investors' unawareness and lack of knowledge as well as critical thinking. Information overload, as introduced by MiFID, tend to generate more confusion among unprofessional investors. Furthermore, the study finds that minor investors do not have monitoring and control possibilities, yet they tend to trust in the investment firms. This trust is based upon a reliance on regulation, regulatory mechanisms, long-term relationships and past experiences, which though at a closer examination shows some flaws. As the result of this the minor investors may have an unsupportive belief that they are protected and are making the best possible investments, which continues to preserve the confidence in the market as well as the trust between investment firms and investors.

Syfte: Uppsatsen ska undersöka hur svenska icke professionella investerare använder årsredovisningen i sina val av kapitalplacering och vilken nytta årsredovisningen har i valet. Uppsatsen ska även undersöka om icke professionella investerare har några problem i tolkningen av årsredovisningar. Metod: Uppsatsen använder både kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod i form av intervjuer och enkät. Slutsats: 50 % av de icke professionella investerarna anser att de har nytta av årsredovisningar vid kapitalplaceringsbeslut. VD-ordet, förvaltningsberättelsen och revisionsberättelsen används mest. Det som upplevs svårast är värderingar i balansräkningen, kassflödesanalys och noter. Förslag till fortsatta studier: Genomföra en liknande undersökning med intervjuer av icke professionella investerare. Ta reda på vilken hänsyn det tas till investerare med lägre ekonomisk kunskap vid upprättandet av årsredovisningar. / Aim: The essay should examine how Swedish non-professional investors use annual reports in their choices of capital investment in securities and what benefits the annual report has in their choices. The essay should also examine if the non-professional investors have some problems in their interpretation of the annual reports. Method: The essay use both qualitative and quantitative methods in form of interviews and survey. Conclusion: 50% of the non-professional investors think that they have benefits from the annual report in their capital investment decisions. CEO:s statement in the annual report, management report and auditor's report is used the most. The most difficult parts are the values in the balance sheet, cash flow statement and notes. Suggestion for future research: Conducting a similar study with interviews with non professional investors. Find out which account is taken of investors with less financial knowledge in the preparation of annual reports.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att öka investerares förståelse angående hur olika finansiella instrument som emitterats av samma bolag skiljer sig åt. Inledning: Den ökade utvecklingen av de finansiella marknaderna har skapat ett ökat utbud av finansiella instrument. Flera företag har även emitterat flera olika finansiella instrument, vilket innebär att investerare står inför ett val av vilket instrument de vill exponera sig emot. Tidigare forskning är oense angående hur dessa instrument skiljer sig åt, då resultaten från tidigare studier har visat sig vara beroende på var studierna genomförs. Metod: Tidigare studier har använts som grund vid skapandet av studiens hypoteser, vilket innebär att studien är av en deduktiv karaktär. Studiens syfte innebär att stora mängder data analyseras vilket medför att studien är kvantitativ. Studien genomfördes på svenska bolag som emitterat minst två stycken finansiella instrument. Genom att skapa olika jämförelseportföljer som innehåller respektive tillgångsslag kunde vi analysera skillnaderna mellan portföljerna och därmed svara på studiens frågeställning. Resultat: Resultatet visar att det existerar skillnader mellan olika finansiella instrument som emitterats av samma bolag. Vilket innebär att investerare måste noggrant utvärdera sina valmöjligheter innan de genomför en investering, då risken är högre för finansiella instrument som har en högre rösträtt.  Nyckelord: Risk, avkastning, riskjusterad avkastning, finansiella instrument, investerare / Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to enhance investor’s understanding about the differences between various financial securities that are issued by the same company. Introduction: The development of the financial markets has created an increased range of financial securities. Same companies have also issued various financial securities, which means that the investors face the dilemma of choosing between the options. Previous researches disagree on how these various securities differ from each other, because their results have shown to be dependent on the location of investigation. Method: Previous studies have been used as the basis for the formulation of this study’s hypothesis, which means that it has a deductive character. The purpose of the study requires large amounts of data to be analyzed, which entails that a quantitative method has been used. The study has analyzed Swedish companies that have issued at least two different securities. By creating various portfolios that contain each security class we have been able to analyze the differences and to answer our research question. Conclusion: The result shows that there are some differences between various financial securities issued by the same company. This means that investor must carefully evaluate their options before implementing an investment, since the risk is greater for securities with superior voting power.  Key Words: Risk, return, risk-adjusted return, financial securities, investors

The purpose of this essay is to examine the Swedish people’s level of knowledge about crowdfunding and their incentives and deterrents to crowdfunding investments. Early on crowdfunding was divided into two objectives: reward based and equity based crowdfunding. The division of objectives is logical due to the differencing conditions of the motivation for investors to invest. Supported by theories in crowdfunding incentives, commitment-trust, the prospect theory, and the diffusion of innovations, we aim to establish a comprehensive line of reasoning to support our model of motivation in the conclusive chapter. The results of this essay were achieved by a combined method. A quantitative survey tended to give us a sense of how well known the crowdfunding phenomenon is amongst the Swedish people. It was followed by a qualitative study consisting of interviews with crowdfunding investors with aim to understand their incentives and deterrents. The interviews served as the basis for our analysis. Our analysis reveals that the incentives to invest differ between equity based and reward based crowdfunding. The major common incitement was trusting the entrepreneur behind the project, rather than a neat investment prospectus. The seminal crowdfunding deterrent is ignorance. Today, the Swedish people are unknowing of the phenomenon and its significance.

Denna studie är av kvalitativ art och syftar till att undersöka huruvida crowdfunding kan överbrygga ett eventuellt finansiellt gap för svenska företag och entreprenörer. Undersökningen fokuserar på tre typer av respondenter, vilka är representerade av företag som brukar crowdfunding som finansieringsform, bolag som fungerar likt ombud för att förmedla kapital med hjälp av finansieringsformen samt respondenter vilka opererar likt investerare i projekten. Studien teoretiska referensram är uppdelad i två sektioner, varav den första avser att beskriva crowdfunding utifrån generiska teorier, vilka utgörs av the Pecking Order Theory samt the Agency Principal Theory. Den andra sektionen ämnar mer specifikt beskriva crowdfunding samt belysa dess revenyer och brister och utgörs av tidigare forskning inom området. Studien mynnar ut i en slutsats att crowdfunding, genom dess tre former, kan utgöra en lösning i form av att metoden kan fungera likt ett komplement för att åter balansera det finansiella vakuum nyföretagare upplever i samband med erhållande av kapital. / This is a qualitative study which aims to investigate whether crowdfunding can fill up a financial gap for Swedish companies. The survey focuses on three types of respondents, which are represented by companies who uses crowdfunding as financing, companies that acts like an agent for providing capital through crowdfunding and respondents which operates as investors in crowdfunding projects. The study’s theoretical framework is divided into two sections, the first of which relates to describe crowdfunding based on generic theories, which consists of the Pecking Order Theory and the Agency Principal Theory. The second section intends to, more specifically, describe crowdfunding and highlight its shortcomings as well as its advantages and consists of previous research within the field. The study culminates in a conclusion that crowdfunding, through its three forms, can be a solution in sense that the method can be used as a complement to rebalance the financial vacuum new enterprises experience in relation to obtaining capital.