Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of December 14, 2021

Article Excerpt

Many investors spend way too much time trying to analyze the market outlook for stocks, based on little more than recent stock-price trends. They generally fall in one of two camps. Momentum investors: These investors like to buy stocks that have been going up for some time. They assume rising stocks have upward momentum, and that this means they will keep on rising. These investors also like to “average up”—buy more of stocks they own that have been rising. They assume momentum will keep rising and expand their profits. The ‘buy on a dip’ crowd: These investors lean toward buying stocks that have dropped. If a stock drops after they buy, they like to “average down”—buy more of the stock, to lower their average cost. Neither of these techniques/practices is likely to enhance your long-term investment results. More likely, they will cut your profits in the long run. That’s because a large random factor enters into short-term stock-price trends. If you let a..