Rate My Professor Muhammad Cheema

Dr. Muhammad A. Cheema is a Senior Lecturer in Finance in the Department of Accountancy and Finance within the Otago Business School at the University of Otago, where he also directs the BNZ Bloomberg Markets Lab. He holds an MSc in Finance from the University of Strathclyde (2006–2007) and a PhD in Finance from Lincoln University (2010–2014). Prior to his current role, which began around 2021, Cheema served as a Senior Lecturer in Finance at the University of Waikato's Waikato Management School, having joined there in January 2019. His teaching portfolio includes FINC 302 Applied Investments and FINC 544 Behavioural Finance, and he supervises PhD students in accounting and finance.

Cheema's research specializations include asset pricing, behavioural finance, machine learning in finance, energy finance, investor sentiment, stock market anomalies, safe haven assets, ESG decoupling, and the economic impacts of natural disasters and economic policy uncertainty. He has garnered recognition through awards such as the 2022 MBIE Best Paper Award for Capital Markets, the 2019 CFA Society’s Best Paper Award, and an Erskine Fellowship from the University of Canterbury in November 2021. Key publications feature 'Investor sentiment and stock market anomalies: Evidence from Islamic countries' (Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 2024), 'Which assets are safe havens? Evidence from 13 stock market downturns' (International Review of Economics & Finance, 2025), 'ESG decoupling and stock price crash risk' (Meditari Accountancy Research, 2025), 'Mixed blessings? Venture capitalists, angels, and the performance of equity crowdfunded firms' (Small Business Economics, 2025), 'Shaking the markets: The lingering impact of earthquakes and tsunamis on global stock market performance' (Studies in Economics & Finance, 2025), and 'Are there any safe haven assets against oil price falls?' (Applied Economics, 2023). With over 785 citations documented on ResearchGate, his contributions have notably influenced discussions in behavioural finance, market risk, and energy economics.