Lemmings and Investors: How Different Are They?

Oregon Magazine ^ | February 1, 2003 | Mark Neil

[WaterDragon]

Undoubtedly you have heard about lemmings. They are those furry little rodents who live in the upper reaches of the arctic and have been known to swarm in large numbers and suddenly rush off of cliffs and fall to their death. The truth is that they don't commit mass suicide by running off cliffs in large numbers. They do migrate in large numbers from one feeding area to another and they seem to do so in a very chaotic manner. No one is really sure what triggers this behavior but it does seem to occur every 3-5 years.

[razorback-bert]

A fair read ping.

[dtel]

You seem to get better results if the whole article is posted.
I thought this was indeed a good read and posted the whole thing.
Group psychology (herd behaviour) is very difficult to predict in the human animal.
The country could use a jolt of good news,
I'm afraid it may be a while in coming.

[groanup]

All markets trend. (Well maybe not gold during the nineties). Markets trend because of the lemming instinct. When the lemmings are jumping off the cliff together the bull market is over. When the lemmings appear that they will never move again, the bear market is over.

"Bull markets are born of despair, rise on pessimism, peak on optimism, and die on euphoria." John Templeton

[dtel]

All markets trend...

But the lemmings were sold on the 'New Business Cycle' where it is always ever upward, ever higher.
Having been raised in the oil fields of west Texas, I was witness to several boom and bust cycles (trends).
The key is to hold 'em while the getting is slow, and roll 'em when the getting is good.
Several folks, that were sold snake oil, are fixing to realize this.

[Atlas Sneezed]

This post is an abuse of the state lists, read why here.