How does Investor Sentiment affect Financial Markets

As part of my data science coursework, I explored the relationship between sentiment and financial markets, focusing on how public perception and narrative can influence price movements. I worked with large-scale datasets, including government and publicly available data, and leveraged APIs to collect real-time information.

I designed and built a stock sentiment analysis tool, using cloud infrastructure on Amazon Web Services to host and manage the pipeline. This involved extracting, processing, and analysing textual data to generate sentiment signals and visualise market trends.

Alongside this, I developed a strong technical foundation in data handling and programming, including accessing data programmatically, working with loops and conditionals, and structuring datasets for analysis. I also applied both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques to identify patterns, classify sentiment, and explore relationships within the data.

A key part of the course focused on communicating insights effectively through data visualisation, as well as critically evaluating data, including understanding bias, limitations, and how data can shape narratives.

Personal Note

This was where I first discovered my genuine interest in data. It was the point where econometrics, technology, and real-world application came together, and it ultimately shaped my path into marketing analytics and broader work in data-driven decision-making.