Mental heuristics In Stock market

Hello friends, I am Laxman Sonale, In today’s article, we see chapter 8 from the book Stock to riches ( mental Heuristics). In this chapter the author, Parag Parikh explains how our mind is working in real life as well as in the stock market. Especially when money comes. So if you want to avoid losing money, then read this article, and understand it carefully.

let’s start

Previous Chapter 7

Mental Heuristics:-

Mental Heuristics

At the start of this chapter, the author gives the two questions to test our mental heuristics, hey guys questions are so funny and logical, let’s see

Question 1:- Three birds are sitting on a tree, two decide to fly away. How many birds are there on the tree?

Question 2: Observe the following picture which line appears longer?

Mental heuristics question

The bottom line appears longer but if you look at the diagram below you notice that both the lines are of the same length.

To support the above statement, the author gives the following diagram

Mental heuristics question

 

the author gives the right answer to the first question

the author says, ” Although both the lines are the same why is It that the lower line appears longer? that’s because the brain takes a shortcut when processing information. I do not process all the information and this leads to biases. this process is known as mental heuristics.

If your answer to the first question- How many birds are there on the tree!- is one,

then you have fallen prey to mental heuristics. your brain does not the information properly. The answer should be three birds. Two had only decided to fly away.

They did not fly away had I told you that they flew away then you would be right.”

The first time I read it, I am also falling in bias

then the author gives the definite definition of mental heuristics and explains mental heuristics with examples

the author says, ” the dictionary definition of the word heuristics refers to the process by which people reach conclusions usually by trial and error.

This often leads them to develop thumb rules, But these are not always accurate. One of the greatest advances of behavioral psychology is the identification of the principle underlying these thumb rules and the errors associated with them.

in turn, these rules have themselves come to be called heuristics. In short, the following four statements define heuristics bias

  • People develop general principles as they find out things for themselves.
  • People rely on heuristics to draw inferences from available information.
  • people are susceptible to certain errors because the heuristics used are imperfect.
  • People actually commit errors in a particular situation.

Then the author gives examples of this

the author says, ” there is a newly opened megastore in the vicinity whose stock is listed on the stock market. you see a big queue outside it and you think it must be doing a roaring business.

You buy the stock hoping it will go up because the store is doing well. But there could be umpteen reasons for the queue the store definitely could be doing great business. But it is also possible that customers are queueing to return defective goods or perhaps the service is slow, or maybe all the other stores in the vicinity are closed on that day.

There are various reasons for the queue but our brain does not weigh all the probabilities and makes a decision on half-baked information.

Stock markets are interesting because Investors do this all the time.

then the author explains with reliance industries limited ( RIL) examples

the author says, ” when the company discovered a gas vein. the stock jumped as investors cashed in on this news. But let us analyze the situation without falling prey to mental heuristics.

the gas source was discovered but there were other factors to be considered the quality of the gas, the number of wells to be drilled, the time it would take, the plans to finance the project, etc.

Before the profits could be repaid yet analysts predicted the future profitability of RFL and on such hopes, investors bought the stock at rising prices.

This is how mental heuristics work when the brain does not process all the information and its implications. the tech boom was built on the same logic and we know the damage it has done.”

then author explains why we do this time by time,

the author says, ‘ Evolutionary forces shaped human cognition over centuries. that served our ancestors well, allowing for quick quality decisions.

Today, the complexities of our lives throw up multifarious data that sure minds may not assimilate very easily. The heuristics we help carry associated biases, which undermine the quality of our decisions. let’s take a look at some heuristics and their biases.”

then the author explains different heuristics

let’s see one by one

Availability heuristics:-Mental Heuristics

In this, the author says, ” One bias associated with availability is the ease of recall.

We are more likely to make judgments based on recent or easy-to-remember events rather than other similar but harder to recall instances. the flow of information around us is what happened in the India shining story of 2003-04.

All available information press, television, bureaucracy, business, and political circles, centered on the positive aspects of the Indian economy.

No negatives were permitted. shared by so much optimism the herd mentality comes into play and everyone not only believed the story, they advocated it.”

then the author explains, how these availability heuristics work in the stock market

the author says, ” this was reflected in the stock markets, the senses jumped from 2800 in April 2003 to over 6000 in April 2004. the NDA and its allies were sure they would win the electrons as the India shining story pointed a rosy picture of their governance. come May 2004 and the electron results announced that the NDA government had lost. How did this happen? the post-analysis revealed that the India shining story had been aggressively sold in the major cities; hence the exit polls in these cities placed the NDA’s chances very high. But 70 percent of the population lives in rural areas and for them, India was not shining. thus NDA was lost. (Mental Heuristics)

On may 17, 2004 the markets crashed by more than 800 points in just two days.

The reason:- All available information was negative. In bull markets, there is only positive news and in bear markets, it is only negative. that’s why markets go up or come down on reflexivity.”

then the author explains other heuristics, let’s see how they work in the stock market.

Representative Heuristics:-

In this, the author says, ‘ We assess the likelihood of an event by its similarity to other occurrences A predominant bias associated with this is an overreaction.

In the stock market, if the leaders report impressive performance, then all the stocks in that particular sector benefit.

the fortunes of the steel industry seemed to be changing and TaTa steel reported increased earnings profits. All the stocks in the sector including the junk and penny stocks attracted investors interest irrespective of whether they too would report increased earnings when the textile industry reported good profits, not only did all the stocks in that sector rise but companies in associated industries, like machinery manufacture, spinning mills, dyes, and chemicals also attracted attention. (Mental Heuristics)

Representative heuristics also affect investors’ actions. Investors try to replicate their portfolios by following the leaders. if they find that a leading find or broker or a respected personality has bought a particular stock they also buy the stock. in a way, this gives rise to the herd mentality.”

then the author explain saliency heuristic

Saliency Heuristic:-

In this, the author says, ” Individual over regret to un unusual event assuming it to be a permanent trend. Two airplanes crashed into the world trade center and the world stays flying the next day. Surely this type of incident has the next day. On the contrary, the next day was probably the safest time for flying.

In bull markets, analysts overreact to unusually good quarterly earnings assuming it would be repeated in the future and become bullish on the stock. In the bear market, they overreact to a bad quarterly estimate extrapolating it too for the future.

In 2004 second-quarter GDP growth estimates of 10 percent saw the markets going up on the assumption that the trend would continue. Actually, it needs to be sustainable to justify good times ahead, however, this is how saliency heuristic works with investors.”

then author gives overconfident examples, you can read this in the book, buy this book from the following link

then the author explain herd mentality with example in the stock market.

Herd Mentality:-Mental Heuristics

in the author says, ” Prakash bought a Maruti Western after carefully researching the decision. He was very happy with it and, enjoyed driving the car on his long haul trips to Lonavala. After a few months, a flood of strangers approached him and offered to buy the car at reduced prices.

The vehicle was in good condition and had done a few thousand miles. Worried that he had not made the right decision Prakash considered selling his Maruti at half his cost price. should he sell the car?

Before you answer, ask yourself what advice would you give him if he wanted to sell 1000 shares of Maruti, which he had bought for Rs. 400 and was now quoting at Rs. 300 due to depressed stock market conditions.

The history of the stock market shows that most investors buy stocks in companies or mutual funds for presumably sound reasons but exit their holdings the moment the market turns against them. (Mental Heuristics)

they sell when a bunch of complete strangers offers them less than what they had paid. Conversely, they will pay high prices for stocks or real estate, or paintings just because other people whom they don’t even know are willing to pay such prices. The dot-com boom was a result of such thinking.

In Stock market Parlance this is known as investing with the herd. We need to understand the manner in which the value of a stock or commodity is determined. To some extent what other people think matters a great deal.

Beauty may be in the eyes of the beholder but the value is often in the eyes of the buyer. If Prakash wanted to sell the Maruti then it was worth what the buyers would pay for it. But if he didn’t then he was the only one to decide the value of his car.”

then author explains how herd mentality work in the stock market

the author says, ”  In the stock markets most often investors allow popular opinion and behavior to define value for them; sometimes for the good but often not their buying or selling decisions are made not on the basis of their own convictions, but on the value that strangers appropriate.

The Herd mentality affects business decisions to a great extent people try to replicate the leaders. In the end everyone behaves alike which leads to cutting prices for market shares. This is very common in the stock brokering business.

Technology has made it easy to install trading terminals across the country. So to survive in a competitive market, brokers have lowered their trading commissions to as little as 3 paise. the difference between one broker and another is the difference in their commissions, not in the value they offer their clients.

that how herd mentality works in business.”

after this, the author gives the size bias

Size Bias:-

In this author talk about two friends, that invest in the market with different time frame, let’s understand size bias.

Two friends, Gautam and Salman, are just out of college and have taken up jobs. from day one Gautam sets aside Rs. 300 every month, which earns him 10 percent per annum, after 10 years he stops as he has started a family.

Salman got married early and did not save anything for a long while. After 10 years, he began to set aside Rs. 300 every month earning him 10 percent per annum.

He continued doing this for the next 30 years until he retired at the age of 60. Salman’s investment was Rs. 1,08,000 while Gautam’s was only Rs. 36,000

When both retired who has more money? it would seem to be Salman as he has been saving for 30 years. in reality it was Gautam. (Mental Heuristics)

At 60,  Gautam got Rs. 1,051,212 while Salman got Rs. 621,787. This is the power of compounding which investors normally forgot.

Salman could not make up for the 10 years that Gautam’s money compounded at an annual rate of 10 percent per annum.

We often tend to look at the big numbers and ignore the small ones.

In money matters, it is the small figures that make all the difference.”

After this author gives the wonderful advice to the trader, how their mind works, and how they recognize patterns.

this you can read in this book, buy the book from the following link.

So this is all about chapter 8 on mental heuristics from book stocks to riches by Parag Parikh.

Stocks to Riches Chapter 4:- Introduction to Behavioural Finance

In today’s blog, we see the introduction to behavioral finance from chapter 4 of the book stocks to riches by Parag Parikh. This is a wonderful chapter you should understand how our feeling is work in the stock market and how can we have to get precautions.

so let’s start

Previous chapter

Introduction to Behavioural Finance:-Stocks to Riches Chapter 4

Stocks to Riches Chapter 4

In this chapter 4, the author explains behavioral finance with wonderful examples

let’s start with examples of peoples behavior

  • “With such positive news from the company why is the stock going down”
  • “I am a qualified chartered accountant. I went through the finances of the company and I feel that at the current price, the stocks are too expensive. I would not buy it nor recommend the same to anybody. But I am surprised that in the last two weeks the stocks are up 15 percent.”
  • “My friend works with this company. they told me that it was doing exceedingly well and that they have an export order worth crore in hand so I bought the stock. It’s six months and I have been waiting but the stock is going down.”
  • ” the company has announced a 1:1 bonus, it’s good news so I bought the stock but the stock went down instead of going up like I thought it would.”
  • ” I read the mornings newspaper and was impressed by the finance minister’s speech and his intention to give sops to the economy. the markets greeted the news positively and went up so I bought stocks the next day the markets were down for no reason and I lost on my investment.”
  • ” I heard the expert’s comments on T.V. on the current budget presented by the finance minister. they were not very happy with it. I sold my stocks only to find that within a week the markets were up 10 percent. I don’t know why I sold my stocks which I had been holding for the last four years.”
  • ” I can not understand the markets. I would rather stay away.”

after his behavioral statement, then the author tells, how this statement happens

the author says, ” Aren’t all these statements familiar you have heard them on perhaps made then yourself. In an ever-changing and uncertain world, we are trying to find some predictions where none exists. The easiest thing to do is to avoid such irrational markets. But then you would be missing out on one of the most favorable modes of investment. (Stocks to Riches Chapter 4)

My sincere advice would be to catch the bull by the horns. confront the problem rather than run away from it. Try to understand why it is happening to you.”

then the author gives their own experience, in dot com bubble time.

the author says, ” during the IT bubble. Too found myself bewildered and confused. The valuations of the dot-com businesses and IT stocks seemed highly inflated. Pundits in the market and the media were pontificating on the new economy and giving convoluted justifications for what was approved to be sheer insanity. I wondered, was the entire world mad and I the only left the same, or was I insane and the world perfectly rational?

I had a client who had invested around 70 lakhs in different IT stocks in 1998 on his friend’s recommendations in 1999, his portfolio value was around Rs. 5 crores when he asked for my advice I told him, to sell as I thought that the PE multiples were very high and the valuations seemed for too stretched.

He did not do so and six months later when we met he informed me that the portfolio value was around Rs. 6 crores. Once again he asked me what he should do I was a bit embarrassed by the question, as I knew that he was, not asking for advice. but telling me indirectly that I was not in sync with the markets. I still insisted that he sell but he did not sometimes later the portfolio value went up to Rs. 8 crores.”

then the author explains why they 3 times give the wrong advice and his friend portfolio value is growing continuously.

the author says, ” this was the frustration I had to go through, of being in the investment business and not able to advise clients correctly. there were times I had sleepless nights fearing that the world was going too fast for me to understand. I doubted my abilities, my competencies, and my knowledge. (Stocks to Riches Chapter 4)

The inability to understand the madness added to the frustration. In fact, I lost quite a few clients as they thought that I was too conservative and not in tune with the new economy.”

then the author tries to find out the answer, for the above going wrong, why this happens

the author says, ” find an answer to this question I did some serious soul searching. my quest led to a fledging little know field called behavioral finance. ”

then the author explains, how emotions change and he is right with his decision, the only people, driven by their emotions. to understand this, the author gives good examples of true stories

the author says, ” this is a true story of a friend who ran a coaching class with one of his colleagues they started off well and within a couple of months they were full to capacity after six months, few students complained to my friend about his colleague’s rude behavior.

The allegation was that he was very short-tempered and arrogant. they wanted him removed or else they would discontinue the classes. My friend was worried. this colleague was his partner and he could not be removed. Moreover, he was a brilliant professional and an able tutor.

After a couple of weeks, the colleague fell ill and was absent for some time. the students were very happy. they thought that they had been successful in removing him.

one day my friend learned that the colleague had a brain tumor and needed an operation. this news shocked my friends, as now his partner would be out of action for quite some time. He informed the students of this calamity. the students were stunned and this shock changed their attitude. Hatred and resentment gave way to empathy and love. they visited him at the hospital and took him flowers. they repented their stand and prayed for his early recovery so that he could come back to teach.”

then the author told, what is the purpose behind this story.

the author says, ” purpose of this story is to understand that is humans we are emotional beings and our behavior and decisions are guided by our emotions. Frequently emotions prompt us to make decisions that may not be in our rational financial interest. Indeed decisions that enrich us emotionally may impoverish us financially.” (Stocks to Riches Chapter 4)

Behavioral finance is the study of how emotions and cognitive errors can cause disasters in our financial affairs.

then the author explains, Classical economic theory vs behavioral economic theory.

Classical Economic theory V/S Behavioural Economic theory:-

the author says, ” Classical theory talks about the efficiency of the markets and people making rational decisions to maximize their profits. It assumes that the markets are efficient and no one can take advantage of its movements. It also assumes that humans are rational beings and will act to maximize their goals.

However behavioral economists believe that the markets are inefficient and human beings are not rational beings.”

then the author, give the examples

the author says, ” Consider the examples if you and I were walking down a busy street in Colaba and you said you saw Rs. 5 coins on the road. I would say it is impossible. so many people walk this read and the markets being efficient someone would have definitely picked it up.

But in reality, we do come across such instances. this shows that the markets are not as efficient as they seem to be further, if we assume that people make rational decisions to maximize profits then how do we explain people giving to charities or throwing a party to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary?

Definitely, this is not about maximizing profits by rational people.

here’s another example of how irrational we can be. the acronym Tips:- stand for To Insure prompt service

If TIPS ensures good service we should be tipping before the service starts. Yet, we give tips at the end of the meal. We even give tips when the service is substandard. (Stocks to Riches Chapter 4)

Tipping is more a custom, we do it mechanically unaware that we are behaving irrationally. yet, in economic theory we are rational beings always intent on maximizing our economic status. this is a common mistake we make without realizing its pure economic implications.”

after this, the author explains behavioral finance and why we react like this.

the author says, ” Behavioural finance researchers seek to bridge the gap between classical economics and psychology to explain how and why people and markets do what they do. Behavioral finance raises a couple of important issues for investors. the first is whether or not it is possible to systematically exploit irrational market behavior when it occurs.

The second issue is how to avoid making sub-optimal decisions as an investor. the goal is to close the gap between how we actually make decisions and how we should make decisions.

  • Hold on to stocks, that is crashing
  • Sell stocks that are rising
  • Ridiculously overdue and Underdue stocks
  • jump in late and buy stocks that have peaked in a rally just before the price declines.
  • Take desperate risks and gamble wildly when our stocks fall.
  • Avoid taking the reasonable risk of buying promising stocks, unless there is an absolutely ‘ assured ‘ profit.
  • Never find the right price to buy and sell stocks.
  • Prefer fixed income overstocks.
  • Buy when we have to sell and sell because others are selling.

then the author explains, how psychology plays a wonderful role.

the author says, ” Psychology can play a strategic role in the financial markets, a fact that is being increasingly recognized.

Students and proponents of behavioral finance create investment strategies that capitalize on irrational investor behavior. They seek to identify market conditions in which investors are likely to overreact or under react to new information,

These mistakes cause underpriced or overpriced securities. The goal of behavioral finance strategies is to invest in or disinvest from these securities before most investors recognize their error, and to benefit from the subsequent jump or fall in prices once they do.”

then lastly author gives the three sources of Alpha for superior performance.

i think you should read this in the book, for buying the book, visit the following link

 

so this is all about the Introduction of behavior finance, from chapter 4 of the book Stocks to riches.

Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2

Hello friends, in today’s blog, we see Investment strategy from the book Stocks to riches chapter 2, this book was written by value investor Parag Parikh. so in this chapter 2, we see investment strategy and the difference between investment and speculation. so let’s see one by one strategy.

Previous Chapter 1

Investment Strategy: Investment and Speculation

Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2

In this chapter, the author explains investment strategy and the difference between investment and speculation.

the author says, ” Investment strategy is the first issue that investors should consider. Investing is an act of faith, a willingness to postpone present consumption to save for the future, thus investing for the long term is central to the achievement of optimum returns for the investor.

there are two sources of returns in the stock markets:-

  1. Fundamentals are represented by earnings and dividends.
  2. Speculation is represented by the market’s valuation of these fundamentals.

then the author ( Parag Parikh) explains in detail above two sources of return.

the author says,” the first is reliable and sustainable over the long run; the second is dangerous and risky. these lessons of history are central to the understanding of investing. these two sources of return could be further classified into cash flow and capital gains.”

After this, the author explains what is Cash flow and how we have to consider ourselves.

Cash Flow concept:-Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2

the author says, ” When one believes in the fundamentals of investing, one is looking at the dividend payout of the company. these arise from the company’s earning potential, and are possible, only when the company has a positive cash flow. this cash flow is a product of the fundamentals or inherent strength, of the company, the sustainability of the business, and the robustness of the business model.

along with that, there are other variables such as the quality of the management, competitive market position, core competencies, etc. Investing in such companies enables the investor to earn a regular income over many years.”

then, the author explains investment value.

the author says, ” the investment value of a stock is the present worth of all the dividends to be paid upon it. this is best explained by John Burr Williams, ” A stock is worth only what you get out of it. A stock derives its value from its dividends, A cow for her milk, a hen for her eggs, bees for their honey, and stocks for their dividends.”

then the author explain capital appreciation,

the author says, ” the capital appreciation that takes place is seen primarily from the angle of bonus and right shares, which in turn increase the shareholding leading to higher dividends. As a result, the shareholding cash flow is augmented.

The rise in stock price is secondary as there is no intention of selling for capital gain. It is only satisfying to know that one can cash in on such a huge appreciation in times of need.

When investors follow this cash flow model of fundamental Investing. it is always based on the premise that over a long period, the stock markets will go up irrespective of the turbulence.

For them, the bull and bear markets are part of the investment process. on the contrary, they wait for a bear market, as they are able to get bargains there is also a strong belief that equity investments are the best hedge against inflation.” (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

You all know, nowadays, there is huge inflation, so if you want to beat inflation, then equity investment is best.

then the author talks about the Capital Gain concepts, and what is the benefit of that, and how can we use them for our purpose or goal in life?

Capital Gains Concept:-

The author says, ” When a stock goes up in value and one sells it at a profit, that gain is known as a capital gain. When people buy stocks in the belief that the prices will go up and they will be able to make a profit, it is known as speculation.

the price of a stock listed on the stock markets reflects the value of the fundamental. Speculators bet on the market value of the fundamentals. Now there are traders and speculators who buy and sell stocks according to their perception of the correct price of the stock based on the fundamentals. Say a company like Colgate is quoted at a price of Rs. 145.

A trader may feel that according to the fundamentals of the company Rs. 145 is a low price and that the stock could go up so he would buy that stock at Rs. 145. when it goes up he makes a profit, which is his capital gain, if it goes down he makes a loss.

Stock price movements take place for a variety of reasons and the investor is vulnerable to a host of uncertainties yet he is willing to take the risk. Here people are not looking at the fundamentals of a company.

they are looking at the stock price going up because of probable factors, Such as the fortunes of the company changing, expectations of higher profits a technological breakthrough, etc. they buy and sell stocks on information or an opinion or a rumor. the idea is to benefit from a price movement.

the inherent gambling instinct in a human being is responsible for the huge turnover in this kind of speculation.

speculation perse is gambling. In the stock markets, the other name for speculation is trading. it gives some credibility to the process and also has a different tax treatment ( the basic difference between speculation and trading is that in the former no delivery of the stocks is taken and in trading, the delivery is effected.

The capital gains model is based on the premise that stock markets always witness bull and bear phases; one follows the other. For speculators and traders, the trick is to take advantage of the ups and downs of the market,

Volatile stock price movements excite them, they follow the short-term approach. They strongly believe that since markets always fluctuate, a long-term strategy is useless. In fact, during the tech boom, I interacted with some experts and fund managers who held the firm view that the old ways of investing were out as the rules of the game had changed. (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

To buttress their claim they cited the example of how warren Buffett missed the tech boom. today I know for sure that all of them are nursing their wounds, this is what short-term success does.”

then the author explains why warren Buffett missed the tech boom, and why they are so successful.

the author says, ” Warren Buffett’s success till date is due to the fact that he would refrain from buying business he did not understand. He would buy stocks that were quoting a discount to their intrinsic value, and he would buy businesses from which he could visualize sustainable earnings over the long term. As the tech stocks did not fit in with these conditions he stayed away from them.”

Then the author gives the case study of Infosys companies.

I think you should read this case study, by buying this book from the following link

then the author says ” let’s sum up, let’s take the example of a cattle farm and a dairy farm. In a cattle form, the asset is the cattle, cattle are bred and reared to yield good value when they are sold to the slaughterhouse. this is what is speculation and trading. You buy on the asset, wait till the price, Increase, then sell it off in the market for a profit. this is how capital gains investing works.

on the other hand in a dairy farm, the asset is also cattle, here too the cattle are bred and reared but they are not sold to the slaughterhouse. the cattle have long-term use, they are used to obtain a regular supply of milk.

In both cases, the asset is the same but it is used differently one for meat and the other for milk. similarly, in the investment world, some people used stocks for capital gains by trading while others use them. Stocks for cash flow by investing long term.”

then the author explains the law of the Farm

The Law of the Farm:-

Then the author explains how to make money in the stock market, by applying the simple law of the farm.

the author says, ” Stock market investing is all about managing the rewards associated with the risks undertaken. without risk, there is no return. Invest you must but before that, you must bear in mind the law of the farm. You reap what you sow but the crop is also subjected to the changing seasons. the seeds have to endure summer, rain, winter, and spring before it turns into full-blown tree. Stock market investments also work that way. there are no shortcuts if we invest in the right stocks with the right business model and fundamentals, over the long run we are assured of optimum returns. However, to do this requires patience and we have to go through the ups and downs but it is important to stay the course. (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

Getting carried away y the greed of quick returns ultimately destroys wealth as it does not conform to the law of nature. Many of us forget that nature and society are one.”

then the author gives the best strategy of investment.

The Best Investment Strategy:-

the author says, ” There is nothing wrong with speculation as such on the contrary it is beneficial in two ways, Firstly without speculation untested new companies like Infosys, Satyam, and in earlier times companies like Reliance, would never have been able to raise the necessary capital for expansion.

the tempting chance of a huge gain is the grease that lubricates the machinery of innovation.

Secondly, the risk is exchanged every time the stock is sold and bought, but it is never eliminated. when the buyer buys a stock. He takes the primary risk that the stock will go down.

However, speculating can go wrong if people.

  • Do not understand the difference between investing and speculating.
  • Speculate without the right knowledge and skill.
  • Speculate beyond their capacity to take a loss ( that is called margin trading.)
  • The Greatest problem today is that most investors are acquiring speculative habits believing that they are investing.
  • The Attraction of quick money and the advent of the futures market have lured them to margin trading. for a number of people, this has become a full-time occupation due to the advent of the internet and online trading. This could be bad news especially when they are dealing with their life savings. “

then the author explains the risk Reward ratios.

Risk-Reward Balance:-

the author says, ” the important thing to remember is that investing is all about risk and Reward and vice versa.

the investor needs, to select the right balance when choosing investment vehicles and the strategy.

During the IT sector boom, the stock prices of IT companies were going up by leaps and bounds and people were buying such stocks at any price thinking that the price would go up. There was no rationality as to the value and the price. People were thus only buying risk, there was no effort to balance the risk-reward ratio. (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

We all know the fate of various IT Investors when the markets crashed. In March 2003, when the Iraq war was on, the markets were vert down and some of the stocks were available at ridiculously low valuations. the dividend yield was also very high. the price to earnings (P/E) ratios was attractive. This was the time to invest in Good Stocks as one would be only buying reward and the risk would be minimal. The risk-reward ratio would be in the investors favor.”

so this is all about how much you take risks with companies fundamentals, not speculative manner, that gives the high rewards.

then the author explains long-term investment.

the author says, ” Here are certain facts which prove the point that long-term investment is very rewarding and that patience is a virtue in equity markets. Three companies ( and there are several others), that have given excellent long-term returns to investors who bought stocks over a decade ago and held on to them, are Hindustan lever, hero honda, and Infosys.

The Hindustan lever has given a compounded annual growth rate ( CAGR) of 21 percent in returns for the last 13 years, whereas hero honda, has given 41 percent CAGR to shareholders on their investments during the same period. Infosys has delivered an astounding 79 percent annual return to shareholders since its listing 11 years ago. All these figures include dividends. as we can see this is higher than the returns available in any other investment avenue like bonds or bank deposits. (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

However, this does not mean that these stocks have only gone one way that is upwards.

They have had pretty serious declines at various points in time but despite that, the long-term result from owning them has been impressive.

The Hindustan lever has been falling for the last two years, Infosys had a very sharp decline after the bursting of the bubble in technology stocks and Hero honda also fell significantly in early 2003 when its quarterly sales slowed down.

Short-Term investment can also be rewarding for the speculator who is able to take risks and time the markets. Take the case of a speculator who had bought Infosys, at Rs. 2000 when the market started moving up and sold it when it went to is 13,800 within a year and a half. He made tremendous gains and he laughed at the investor who hold on to the stock since the beginning and got a return of 79 percent CAGR.

a Speculator could have short sold Hindustan lever at Rs. 210 in November 2003 and recovered it at 4,120 in august 2004 making a return that even a long-term investor in Hindustan lever would envy.

Speculators do make a killing, as some would have definitely done during the various periods of the boom and the bust cycles. the only rider is, can they do it consistently over time! A lot of speculators could have made more money than the long-term investor on the above stocks.

So it is different to say which strategy is good and which is bad. It depends upon the individual’s mental attitude, discipline, risk-taking ability, and patience.

from the above paragraph, some points conclusively prove

  1. Long-term investing can be very rewarding if you buy the right company at the right price.
  2. a stock can decline significantly in the short run and yet give a decent long-term return.
  3. Short-term investing ( speculating) can also be very rewarding if you are able to time the markets and take advantage of short-term volatility.

 

As we can be seen from the above table even though the net profit of Infosys has grown it 43 percent CAGR, 2000-2004 the market capitalization has fallen by 14 percent CAGR in the same period.

This is the impact on investors when a good business is bought at irrational prices. the P/E ratio has continuously declined. (Investment strategy:- Stocks to Riches Chapter 2)

So if one had bought the stock at a higher price in 2000 he would be losing money in spite of the company showing improved performance, this is the risk one takes when one is speculating.

Most of the IT experts and fund managers ignored Benjamin graham’s words of warning. ” Obvious prospects for physical growth in a business do not translate into obvious profits for investors.

In today’s changing times there is so much uncertainty that looking at the long-term approach seems unviable. Hence the stock markets have become the bedrock of brute speculation.

this is the reason for so much volatility. It is also turning long-term investors into short-term punters. this is how the investment world works today. If you want to be a successful investor there are three ways of investing Chapter 3 looks at the best way to invest.

so this is all about chapter 2 from the book Stocks to riches by Parag Parikh

If you want to earn a lot of money in the stock market, you must read this book. This is only of my favorite book, so when I was looking I am away from my value investing strategy, then I read this book, and again set my mindset as a value investor.

this book explains wonderful investment strategies, be read continuously.