By Stella Goh – Market Data Analyst | 7 May 2018
When you begin investing in stock, it’s important to understand how you might lose money if you not careful enough by making some common mistake. Investors must know how to seek vital information and be sharp minded to reduce the risk of failed investment. Here are the few common mistakes that investors should watch out.
Diversification – Too Much / Too Little
As what Warren Buffet said, investors should not put all eggs in one basket; they should diversify their portfolio to spread out the investment risk. However, investors may over-diversified and under-diversified their shares portfolio. Over-diversification may result in retail investors lose tracks of their investment efficiency by diversifying into such as stock, futures, commodities, bonds and so on. As a result, any profit makes from the specific investment will be quickly written off by other non-performing investment. However, it can multiple investment portfolios can be managed together with a dedicated team of the fund manager.
On the other hand, if the investor was under-diversified, which he may only invest in one or two stock at the same time, his portfolio will become highly sensitive to the fluctuation the stock pricing due to the short-term market uncertainties.
For another reason, if the investors concentrated only on one investment class such as bonds, he might not enjoy the opportunities arising from other asset classes such as equities when it happens.
Emotional Attachment
Commonly there are two types of emotions that influence most of the retail investors. They are none other than the sense of greed and fear. Investors may quickly catch by fear when the share prices dropped drastically in short period. They will lose their rational and make wrong judgments by disposing good investment on hand at the wrong time. These will cause them suffer a loss on the capital over an extended period.
While the market is bullish, the majority of the retail investors may turn greedy so FOMO (fear of missing out) will kick in, and they will chase to buy particular hot trending stock even though the shares are way overvalued. These will cause their capital easily locked up at peak price for an extended period.
Just as what Warren Buffet said, “When Investors sell on fear; it will drive a stock price down. Likewise, when they buy on greed, it will drive the stock price up in short-term.” Investors should invest based on the reliable information tools, instead driven by emotion.
Lack of Knowledge
Another common mistake made by retail investors is lack of investment knowledge. These group of people wish to earn quick profit from investment but lazy to learn a new skill. They do not know where to set the cut-loss point and also target profit. They more willing follow blindly what the analysts and experts said without doing own analysis. Most of the analyst report was for long-term investment period so it will be irrelevant for retail investors to look at it and try to make a quick bet based on the analysis report.
Therefore, investors should know how to establish an entry and exit strategy which can help them to make better and quicker decision.
Not Doing Research
Analysis research on the stocks is essential as it tells the better story inside the company. As what Warren Buffet said, “Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing”. Investors should study how well the company is operating, where the fund of the company investing and the company’s objective which will give us the insights of the company future and gauge the risk. Investors should always look at the business potential and prospect of the company to make their own investment decision.
Conclusion
In conclusion, investors should always keep all these factors in mind as a lesson so you can make a right investment decision in future. Discipline is the key to success, be patient and look at the long-term gains instead of short-term profit. As what Warren Buffet said, “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” Therefore, investors must invest smarter with patience to grow their money.
Good article.