ABSTRACT
As a result of the 2008 financial crisis, the international financial system underwent a fundamental change. The crisis has highlighted various weaknesses in the economic system. One of these weaknesses was the unregulated nature of investment markets and their inefficient structural structure. Funds managed by investment fund managers have also been hit hard by the crisis. In the post-crisis period of 2008, there was a dynamic economic boom, which also affected the types of investment funds and their changes. However, the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 onwards is a special crisis. Its unique nature is reflected in the fact that financial markets have remained stable under the influence of central banks. This, in turn, did not necessarily affect the investment market, and in particular investment funds, as expected in the event of a downturn. In our research, we illustrate the change of investment funds along economic cycles through the quantitative changes of Hungarian investment funds. In our analysis, we illustrate the evolution of fund changes through hierarchical cluster analyzes. In the course of our research, we found that Hungarian investment funds move in line with market and retail investment trends, and the structure of investment funds does not show a significant change during the sixteen years examined, regardless of changes in economic cycles. © Institute of Society Transformation, 2021
ABSTRACT
Our study examines the financial literacy of students in higher education studying economics. Literature shows that financial literacy is becoming more valuable, but this increasingly important knowledge is not accompanied by practical results. Therefore, the sense of financial security is also reduced, especially if an unexpected major economic crisis occurs. The reasons for this decline have been investigated. Hungarian and foreign students were interviewed in a two-phase offline questionnaire survey. The first wave of COVID-19 took place between the two surveys to model the economic crisis. The questions assessed students' theoretical knowledge, financial behaviour, and attitudes towards finance. We also asked how they rated their own financial situation and sense of security. After statistically processing the responses, linear models were set up to identify the factors that played a role in the development of financial security. Our most important result is that the year of the survey influences all dimensions of financial culture, which verifies the role and effect of the crisis caused by the outbreak.