The stock market is increasingly irrational. Here’s how to stay rational about it

  • 📰 globeandmail
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 64 sec. here
  • 50 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 193%
  • Publisher: 92%

Canadian News News

Canada News,Breaking News Video,Canadian Breaking News

For more than a half century, finance professors and educated investors have worshipped at the altar of the efficient market hypothesis. But one financial expert suggests markets are becoming less efficient

It isn’t your imagination. The stock market really is getting crazier – at least, according to one of the investment industry’s most prominent number crunchers.

This is a bit like the pope conceding that the heathens have a point. For more than a half century, finance professors and educated investors have worshipped at the altar of the efficient market hypothesis . This is the idea that stock markets are reliable and rational judges of value. If Mr. Asness is correct that markets are becoming less efficient, the implications are profound for these investing strategies. He acknowledges, though, that market efficiency is difficult to measure and that his concerns may be “the harrumphing of an old man.”

This willingness to pay through the nose signals exuberance. It may even indicate a bubble: The value spread spiked around 1999 to 2000 during the dot-com mania. It did so again around 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted markets and helped meme stocks of low quality, near-bankrupt companies briefly soar before crashing.

Mr. Asness argues this top-heavy structure cannot be explained simply as the result of a boom in a handful of technology stocks. The phenomenon seems rooted in something more structural. It’s an excellent question and one that leads on to an even more intriguing puzzle: What can a rational investor do in a market that is showing signs of increasing irrationality?

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 5. in ZA
 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

South Africa South Africa Latest News, South Africa South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Stock market today: Stock futures little changed after markets claw back August lossesStock futures were little changed ahead of Friday's opening bell with US stocks on pace for their best week of the year.
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Stock market today: Stock futures jump higher after positive signal on jobs, unemploymentWall Street saw a comeback attempt falter on Wednesday, as stocks faded into the close and ended up with sizable declines
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Stock market today: Stock futures steady in wait for fresh jobs, unemployment dataWall Street saw a comeback attempt falter on Wednesday, as stocks faded into the close and ended up with sizable declines
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Stock market today: Dow, Nasdaq seesaw amid more soft jobs market dataLabor data is in focus as the prospect of rate cuts fails to offset growing doubts about the health of the economy.
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Stock market today: Wall Street holds steady following mixed reports on the economyNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are holding steady following some mixed data on the economy, but they’re still on track for their worst week since April. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher in early trading Thursday.
Source: SooToday - 🏆 8. / 85 Read more »