Observations on
Psychology and the Markets
As I continue my quest to clean out my Pocket queue, I came across an article from Ben Carlson on his A Wealth of Common Sense blog called "The Art of Doing Nothing." In my endless pursuit of the perfect work/life balance, I have often thought about the trap of "busyness" and the perils of pursuing perpetual productivity...
When I saw this Bloomberg article on bubble conditions, I immediately thought of last weekend at the Behavioral Finance Symposium in San Francisco. I helped run a workshop on the relationship of behavioral finance to trading and technical analysis...
Three things bothered me about this article about the Hang Seng selling off one day. First, why does there always have to be a reason for the market to sell off?...
I recently attended the 30th annual conference for the International Federation of Technical Analysts (IFTA). The IFTA Conference is held in a different location every year, and this year's event brought us all together in beautiful Milan.
As the equity markets continue to new highs, I'm reminded of Do Something Syndrome and the dangers of impatience. When your stocks are working, and charts are going up and to the right, why are you so compelled to mess it up?....
I recently came across a 1976 interview with Ben Graham for the CFA journal. It was very interesting to hear his reflections on the financial industry in his twilight years. What struck me was his thinking on simplifying the investment process and a somewhat cynical view on the industry and its participants.
I've read Shane Parrish's Farnam Street blog for years, and as a result have developed a real appreciation for Charlie Munger's approach to investing and thinking and life. I'm so glad I finally read Shane's transcript of Munger's Herb Kay Memorial Lecture from 2003. I'd encourage you to take the time to read the entire speech, as he covers so much ground with his signature mix of dry humor and healthy cynicism.
