39 - Market Expectations vs Your Investing Expectations

Mental Models discussed in this podcast: Mr. Market Please review and rate the podcast If you enjoyed this podcast and found it helpful, please consider leaving me a rating and review. Your feedback helps me to improve the podcast and grow the show's audience.  Support the Podcast on Patreon This is a podcast supported by listeners like you. If you'd like to support this podcast and help me to continue creating great investing content, please consider becoming a Patron at DIYInvesting.org/Patron. You can find out more information by listening to episode 11 of this podcast. Should you invest in Private Prisons? - Show Outline The full show notes for this episode are available at https://www.diyinvesting.org/Episode39 Expectations Investing Investing involves evaluating current and future business performance. The greatest returns are often made when two things are true: Your expectations of future business performance differ from market expectations You are correct This second point cannot be understated enough. Contrarian alone is not a useful strategy Mr. Market is Vague Often the market is unclear on what exactly it wants the business to do or what standard management needs to meet to be considered a positive performer.  Mr. Market is fickle Expectations can change quickly, often as quickly as an analyst report or price target revision Mr. Market is short-term You can win with a longer time horizon Conviction is Critical You must be confident and specific about what your expectations are The market will challenge your conviction Without conviction, even your best ideas are unlikely to make you money. If you know what you are expecting, and management continues to perform according to your expectations, then ignore how the market chooses to respond. You can't control the market, you can only control your own actions.  Example: I was recently challenged by a company I own. A recent earnings release largely met my expectations. However, the market disagreed and the stock price dropped by 40%.  Summary Investing expectations drive short-term changes in the market. However, your personal expectations of management and business performance will drive the strength of your conviction in a company. Don't let Mr. Market dictate your investing decisions. Mr. Market's price offers should only ever be seen as an opportunity, not a necessity to act.