The other day a colleague of mine who has recently started
investing directly in stocks asked me if it’s okay to sell out the “losers” in
his portfolio so that the aggregate portfolio value looks better. Obviously, I
asked him not to. On another occasion, an amateur analyst, who has just
acquired an MBA degree, advised me to buy “puts” for my portfolio so that I can
hedge it against market downturns. I scratched my head for some time, trying to
understand the logic behind his argument, and eventually decided to junk the
idea.
Obsession with positive portfolio returns isn’t just an
obsession with the analyst community; laypeople are equally affected by it. A
positive portfolio return is taken as a barometer of your prudence in stock selection.
Those who have poor aggregate returns tend to slip into self-inflicted
inferiority complex. They should not.
There are quite a few problems with the obsession with
positive portfolio returns. Since you are almost never going to sell the entire
portfolio, aggregate returns mean little. Secondly, if you sell out your
profitable positions, the portfolio sinks into red, which may artificially make
it look ugly. Sometimes it’s because two or three stocks that the aggregate
portfolio looks bad, while the others are doing pretty well. That doesn’t mean
that you get desperate to sell out the nonperformers. Selling out should always
be dictated by your stock strategy and not market movements.
Doing all sorts of acrobatics, such as buying puts, to “save”
your portfolio is no sign of investment savvy. On the contrary, I consider it a
strong indicator of muddled thinking. Your “savior” strategy can soon turn into
a booby trap, and you will be looking for another savior to save you from the
first. Complex products, like calls and puts, are not only difficult to understand;
they are also difficult to manage.
The best thing you can do when your portfolio goes into
negative is do nothing. Fall in stock prices is a fundamental aspect of the
stock market, and you must accustom yourself to tolerate it quietly.
Eventually, if you are invested in good stocks, you will find them regaining
their lost heights. As to the amateur analyst with his pristine MBA degree, God
save him from himself.
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