5 Investing Mistakes You Need To Avoid

At the same time, nearly all investors, new or experienced, have fallen astray from common sense and made a mistake or two. Being perfect may be impossible, but knowing some of common investing errors can help deter you from going down the well-traveled, yet rocky, path of losses. Here are some of the most common stock buying mistakes.

Day Trading

If you insist on becoming an active trader, think twice before day trading. Day trading is a dangerous game and should be attempted only by the most seasoned investors. In addition to investment savvy, a successful day trader needs access to special equipment that is rarely available to the average trader

Buying On Unfounded Tips

We think everyone makes this mistake at one point or another in their investing career. You may hear your relatives or friends talking about a stock that they heard will get bought out, have killer earnings or soon release a groundbreaking new product. Even if these things are true, they do not necessarily mean that the stock truly is “the next big thing” and that you should run to the nearest phone to call your broker.

Buying Stocks that Appear Cheap

This is a very common mistake, and those who commit it do so by comparing the current share price with the 52-week high of the stock. Many people using this gauge assume that a fallen share price represents a good buy. But the fact that a company’s share price happened to be 30% higher last year will not help it earn more money this year. That’s why it pays to analyze why a stock has fallen.

Underestimating Your Abilities

Some investors tend to believe they can never excel at investing because stock market success is reserved for sophisticated investors. This perception has no truth at all. While any commission-based mutual fund salesmen will probably tell you otherwise, most professional money managers don’t make the grade either – the vast majority underperform the broad market. With a little time devoted to learning and research, investors can become well equipped to control their own portfolio and investing decisions – and be profitable. Remember, much of investing is sticking to common sense and rationality.

When Buying a Stock, Overlooking the “Big Picture”

For a long-term investor one of the most important – but often overlooked – things to do is qualitative analysis, or “to look at the big picture.” Fund manager and author Peter Lynch once stated that he found the best investments by looking at his children’s toys and the trends they would take on. Brand name is also very valuable. Think about how almost everyone in the world knows Coke; the financial value of the name alone is therefore measured in the billions of dollars. Whether it’s about iPods or Big Macs, no one can argue against real life.