Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of January 8, 2013

Article Excerpt

In our first Inner Circle question of the week (see below), a member asks if Torstar is a “screaming buy” or a “value trap”. I don’t think either label fits. You might say the meaning of “screaming buy” is different for every investor. Some use it when they think a stock is virtually certain to go way up in a hurry when the stock market comes to its senses. A stock may seem like a screaming buy to some investors if it has gone up a great deal on good news, and the good news seems likely to continue. It may also seem like a screaming buy if it has dropped a great deal, and the drop seems out of proportion to whatever bad news seems to have caused the drop. Successful investors use the term “screaming buy” rarely—every few years, if that. That’s because they’ve learned from experience that in the stock market, things are never certain. That’s why…