top of page
BLOG
News, views and analysis
The Evidence-Based Investor a proud partner with
FEATURED POST
How much passive investing is too much?
Warnings that index funds have broken the stock market all imply a threshold: a share of the market at which price discovery fails. Nobody making the argument names it. Owen Lamont, writing in the Financial Analysts Journal, argues that no such number exists short of complete passive ownership, and that what actually determines whether prices stay informative is who is left doing the trading. His case, the strongest peer-reviewed research against it, and what the performance
Robin Powell
Search
Why owning losing stocks doesn't matter
A common criticism of index funds is that they own losing stocks as well as winners. It’s true, they do. But does it actually matter? ...
Robin Powell
Aug 26, 20242 min read
Two warnings for investors choosing active funds
Choosing an active fund can seem like a smart move, especially when a fund has delivered strong results in the past. But past performance...
Robin Powell
Aug 26, 20244 min read
Style drift — a lesser-known downside of using active funds
One of the downsides of using actively managed fund is what's called style drift. It's a widespread phenomenon, and, unless you're...
Robin Powell
Aug 23, 20242 min read
Should you go all in on equities?
For at least the last 70 years or so, there have been two guiding principles of portfolio management. The first is that you should spread...
Robin Powell
Aug 21, 20241 min read
Financial advertising can seriously harm your wealth
It’s hard to escape financial advertising. The biggest brands seem to get their name all over the place, from the side of taxi cabs to...
Robin Powell
Aug 19, 20241 min read
Why do active managers struggle to replicate past success?
In evaluating fund performance, it's extremely hard to distinguish genuine, repeatable skill from random chance. Investors are constantly...
Robin Powell
Aug 16, 20242 min read
Don't take investment advice from politicians
Investing is a classic example of an activity which everyone seems keen to give an opinion on. The problem is that everyone has their own...
Robin Powell
Aug 14, 20242 min read
Is Vanguard a sensible option for UK investors?
Vanguard is one of the most successful fund management companies in the world. Based in Pennsylvania, it's starting to build a large...
Robin Powell
Aug 12, 20242 min read
The next NVIDIA? Don't waste your time looking
There can’t be many equity investors who haven’t dreamed of picking the next Google, Amazon or NVIDIA. If you buy into a stock like that...
Robin Powell
Aug 7, 20242 min read
The cost of not owning the Magnificent Seven stocks
There’s been plenty of publicity in recent months about the Magnificent Seven. No, I’m not talking about the classic Western starring Yul...
Robin Powell
Aug 5, 20242 min read
How to outperform major university endowments
You might think university endowments have an edge over ordinary investors. After all, they hire top professionals and use complex...
Robin Powell
Aug 5, 20244 min read
How hard is it to pick a megastock in advance?
There can’t be many equity investors who haven’t dreamed of picking the next so-called megastock — a stock like Google, Amazon, Microsoft...
Robin Powell
Jul 29, 20241 min read
Stock trading can be addictive
This article explores stock trading risks, from hidden costs to addiction, and why long-term investing is a safer path.
Robin Powell
Jul 29, 20243 min read
The rules of sound investing are counter-intuitive
Why do so many people find investing hard? It’s often because the rules of sound investing run counter to what we’ve learned elsewhere in...
Robin Powell
Jul 29, 20243 min read
What did Benjamin Graham think about market timing?
Six months before he died, the legendary investor Benjamin Graham gave an hour-long interview at his home near San Diego to a financial...
Robin Powell
Jul 26, 20242 min read
A simple formula for financial security
Everybody would like to have financial security. No matter how much we enjoy our work, most of us would like the option in the future of...
Robin Powell
Jul 24, 20241 min read
Surviving ten years is a challenge for active funds
It’s finally happened. For the first time in 26 years, and only the second time in Premier League history, all three promoted teams have...
Robin Powell
Jul 22, 20242 min read
How do active funds perform?
Active funds promise market‑beating returns through clever stock‑picking and timely trades. Yet the evidence shows that very few deliver. ...
Robin Powell
Jul 22, 20242 min read
U.S. public pensions are failing investors and taxpayers
As taxpayers, we like to think that every dollar is put to good use. It's very frustrating to see our taxes wasted. But, every year, vast...
Robin Powell
Jul 19, 20242 min read
Learn to tame your inner chimp
For many millions of Britons, 2023 was a financial wake-up call. A combination of inflation, higher interest rates and concerns about the...
Robin Powell
Jul 17, 20242 min read
SUBSCRIBE
Simply provide your email address to receive our regular update.
bottom of page