Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of April 12, 2022

Article Excerpt

Secular trends are changes in the economy, business and social worlds that gain strength over long periods and last a long, long time—many years, if not decades. Often, they last through several market downturns. However, there is no clear, generally accepted definition of a secular trend. One of the most dangerous traps you can fall into as an investor is to make up your mind so firmly about an investment that you assume it is part of a secular trend and refuse to reconsider the idea. Successful investors often refer to this as “falling in love” with an investment decision. You can fall in love with one or a group of stocks, a market trend, a currency, a commodity or a country. In recent decades, lots of investors fell in love with China’s investment prospects, and no wonder. Up until a few years ago, the media routinely trumpeted the prediction that China would soon overtake the U.S. as world economic leader. At…