Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of October 8, 2024

Article Excerpt

Generally speaking, it’s rarely a good idea to base investment decisions on a single news item, no matter how crucial or powerful it seems. Before buying or selling in response to a single news item or tip, you should ask yourself these three questions. First, “Am I the only person who knows this?” In virtually all cases, the answer is ‘no’. If other investors are also aware of the item, it may have already made much of whatever impact it was likely to have on the price of the stock. Second, “Are there other recent or upcoming news items that may have an impact on the stock?” Chances are the answer is ‘yes’. Obviously, you won’t know about all of them. Third, “How would buying this stock affect the structure of my portfolio?” For example, if you have a substantial holding in well-established, dividend-paying gold stocks, then it makes sense to disregard news of high-risk junior gold stocks that have released some interesting…