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. thursday

    thursday

    It is a wise thing to do to invest the money in different places, in order to avoid any unwanted losses. Diversification is the most efficient way of managing the losses in the forex market.
     
    #181     Oct 16, 2021
    murray t turtle likes this.
  2. %%
    Good points;
    even though 500 can do better than 100 sometimes.
    So even if SPY[500] underperforms QQQ[100] mostly so seldom reduce returns much by diversification.
    Strange how many times qld does better than TQQQ;
    not all the the time\ so another case for diversification.......................................................................................
    Andrew Carnegie was against diversification some what;
    but did steel, railroads, oil derricks, bond saleman, big library gifts, cash from JPM, bridges, sleeping car co, Columbia Oil Co, pig iron,
    3,000 libraries..............................................................................
     
    #182     Oct 18, 2021
  3. Never put all your eggs in one basket is an old saying that has stood the test of time. A short but sharp shift in the market can completely unravel a portfolio that doesn’t spread itself across a number of markets. By diversifying, you are offsetting the chances of unpleasant losses.
     
    #183     Oct 25, 2021
    murray t turtle likes this.
  4. Overnight

    Overnight

    False.

    Your narrative is not correct.

    I went all-in on a diversified portfolio of high-yield stocks in Feb 2020. The portfolio is up like 10% as of this typing. Why is that happening when most stocks are up +100% to +1000% since the March 2020 low?

    You are a dinosaur. This is a different kind of market. Your old-school blah blah diversification nonsense is out-dated. I should know, I am living it.
     
    #184     Oct 25, 2021
  5. What if the opposite has happened and it has gone down to 10%? Consider both the outcomes of the scenario. If you are really updated with all the new knowledge, you must know that financial markets is the name of the unexpected. Diversification is the best way to play defensive but I see being defensive really offends you. Congratulations on your gains. Enjoy and let me live my old- school theory. Peace out!
     
    #185     Oct 28, 2021
  6. deaddog

    deaddog

    You will still have unpleasant losses. Just not in all asset classes. It also prevent you from experiencing above average gains for the same reason it offsets losses.

    If you are only diversifying with an equity portfolio you are wasting your time. In a market downturn most equities will fall.
     
    #186     Oct 28, 2021
  7. themickey

    themickey

    No free lunches in trading, no edge in either diversifying or not diversifying.
    However there are large differences in how one should trade either method.
    If you diversify, then trading should be slower (longer term holds), there'll be less surprises and lower volatility.
    And vice versa if one decides to trade non diversified.
    Non diversified, be prepared to sit at a trading desk with higher mental concentration levels and attempting to time trades.
     
    #187     Oct 28, 2021
  8. deaddog

    deaddog

    What is non diversified?

    My entire liquid net worth is in equities. No bonds, I own my own home but that's not liquid or does it provide cash flow and what ever meagre pension the Canadian government decides to send me. I rarely hold more than 10 stocks at one time, closer to 6 to 8. My risk control is going to cash when stocks are not doing what I expect them to do.

    I spend maybe a 1/2 hour per day monitoring my portfolio.
     
    #188     Oct 28, 2021
  9. themickey

    themickey

    This...
    a) I don't believe you.
    b) No wonder you struggle
    c) You are spending the bulk of your time elsewhere in trading, ie search for the holy grail.

    'Portfolio' may include what you hold as well as what you wish to do with future position allocation, timing, selection, decisions on where to go.
     
    #189     Oct 28, 2021
  10. deaddog

    deaddog

    I can't do anything about that.
    I didn't even know I was struggling.
    I have actually found it.
     
    #190     Oct 28, 2021