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Why active funds underperform even when the manager picks well
The managers running the biggest active funds picked stocks that beat the market in 2025 — and most still lagged their benchmark. A Morningstar do-nothing experiment and a body of academic research explain why active funds underperform even when the picking is good: skilled buying undone by poor selling, the hidden cost of trading, and the incentives that keep managers churning. The UK evidence points the same way.

Robin Powell
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Nobody warns you before a bubble bursts
New research from Harvard Business School reveals that during every stock market bubble, the experts aren't sceptics being drowned out — they're true believers. Analyst forecasts soar, short sellers vanish, and the media barely whispers the word 'bubble'. Worse, the degree of optimism actually predicts crash probability. If nobody warns you before a bubble bursts, what can you do? Build a portfolio that doesn't depend on the alarm working at all.

Robin Powell
Mar 187 min read


Fewer bubble warnings mean greater danger
Bubble warnings spiked in late 2025, then faded — but AI stock valuations haven't budged. New research analysing over 5,000 crashes reveals why that's significant: at genuine peaks, warnings are rare and sceptics are ignored. Widespread concern may actually signal safety.

Robin Powell
Jan 2710 min read


What history tells us about expected stock returns after a bull run
New research analysing 153 years of US market data reveals why expected stock returns over the next decade are likely to disappoint. The three forces driving returns — dividends, earnings growth, and P/E changes — rarely pull together when valuations are stretched. With the Shiller CAPE at 40 for only the second time in history, the maths suggests caution. Here's what disciplined investors should do.

Robin Powell
Jan 38 min read
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