Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, is it time to average down on Canadian Tire? Thanks and regards.

Article Excerpt

A: Every time you make an investment decision, you have to consider two things: the appeal of the investment you are considering, and the impact it has on your portfolio. A “buying opportunity” typically refers to the appeal of the stock. We apply the term when we feel an attractive stock has dropped in price for reasons that are of a passing nature, or that are grossly exaggerated in investors’ minds. That creates the buying opportunity. In contrast, “averaging down”—buying more of a stock you own that has fallen in price, mainly to lower your average cost per share—is a strategy for picking stocks for your portfolio. When you average down, you are making investment decisions based on a single factor: the drop in the price of the stock. This can be a major investment error. Some investors go through a phase when they reflexively buy more of anything they own that goes down, as if to validate their decision to buy…