Diversification good or bad?

Discussion in 'Risk Management' started by oraclewizard77, Jan 22, 2009.

Diversification is the holy grail.

Poll closed Feb 1, 2009.
  1. Stay Diversified

    8 vote(s)
    72.7%
  2. Concentrate your portfolio in just a few stocks.

    2 vote(s)
    18.2%
  3. Stay with Cramer

    1 vote(s)
    9.1%
  4. Way too many polls here on ET

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. ironchef

    ironchef

    It takes special talents to be able to successfully time the market. I don't have that talent.
     
    #111     May 2, 2020
  2. ironchef

    ironchef

    Thank you for the explanation. I appreciate it.
     
    #112     May 2, 2020
  3. Elly9

    Elly9

    Well said. Over diversification can just turn the positives of diversification to negatives. We must diversify to a reasonable extent.
     
    #113     May 8, 2020
  4. It is not easy to try to time the market.
     
    #114     Jun 17, 2020
  5. deaddog

    deaddog

    But that is what traders do.
     
    #115     Jun 17, 2020
  6. %%
    Exactly;
    QQQ + related does much of that for me.................................................................
     
    #116     Jun 19, 2020
    Elly9 likes this.
  7. Diversification works for me.
     
    #117     Jun 23, 2020
    Elly9 and murray t turtle like this.
  8. Elly9

    Elly9

    It does for everyone I suppose. Great risk management way.
     
    #118     Jul 3, 2020
  9. deaddog

    deaddog

    Can you expand on that statement?

    How diversified? Are your returns better than a well diversified index ETF?
     
    #119     Jul 3, 2020
  10. Sometimes investors think that they are diversifying their investments correctly, although in reality they aren't. Diversification is a way to soften the effects of market fluctuations by investing in different sectors, countries, asset classes, etc. Some sectors are often influenced by the same factors, or they tend to move in the same direction within the stock market cycle.
    We are now seeing an upturn in cyclical sectors such as consumer goods, manufacturing and financial products. Therefore, an investor who invests in these three sectors will still be subject to strong market fluctuations. Since diversification aims at leveling out market waves, a diversified portfolio of cyclical assets, for example, won't be able to meet this challenge. Therefore it is important to diversify to take into account different industries that aren't too closely related to each other.
    The goal of diversification is simple: to reduce portfolio volatility. But what if the investor isn't concerned about this volatility or if he thinks that a particular sector or asset class is expensive? If we look at the issue from this angle, we need to conclude that diversification isn't always beneficial.
    By diversifying your portfolio, you indirectly admit that you can't choose the best representatives in the market, which is a wise thing to do if you are a novice investor, and stupid if you are a professional.
     
    #120     Jul 27, 2020