It has been three years since Dan and Chris last spoke on our show. And needless to say, a lot has changed in the markets and the world since then – including a pandemic, war, and economic turmoil. As a seasoned industry veteran who has guided his clients through previous cataclysmic financial events, Chris has some advice to offer novice investors...
He explains the big mistake fledgling investors make is "chasing the most spectacular returns" and looking for advice from people or places that "put up great numbers in bull markets" while ignoring their performance during bear markets. After all, he says, "The most spectacular returns of 2021 are posting the most spectacular losses this year."
Chris and Dan both agree that focusing on finding value in a market environment like this one is your best bet. That's the kind of research Chris' firm Broyhill specializes in... like examining big mergers and acquisitions to look for gems and breezing past airline stocks – which Chris describes as "notoriously awful businesses with notoriously awful balance sheets" – in favor of an overlooked sector right next door.
Finally, Chris imparts some wisdom regarding investor behavior thanks to his many years of advising clients – including the psychology around the big topic of "when to sell." And he shares the one simple and absolutely essential, yet often overlooked, thing to do before investing in any public company.
As human beings, we always do the opposite of what we should be doing. We're always buying when we should be selling – when the stock has gone down. And we're selling when the stock has gone up... That's the time to lock yourself in and ride that wave to make as much profit as possible.
Keith uses the company's software during the episode to give a rundown of the best and worst sectors to be in right now, as well as several market big dogs. He also shares the No. 1 metric that investors should home in on when researching recession-proof companies.
And he regales Dan with tales of how much hate mail TradeSmith received when it warned subscribers early of the major market slumps in 2020 and 2022 (which, of course, came true).