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.
"Buy the dip" sounds like smart investing — wait for prices to fall, then pounce. But 60 years of evidence reveals the strategy underperforms passive investing more than 60% of the time. Here's why waiting for the perfect moment costs more than it saves.
Robin Powell
Dec 18, 20258 min read
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