
Infinite Loops Cliff Asness - Surviving the Meme Stock Bubble (Ep. 298)
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Jan 22, 2026 Cliff Asness, co-founder and chief investment officer at AQR Capital Management, shares his insights into market psychology and the nature of investing. He explains how losses affect behavior more than wins and draws comparisons between the dot-com bubble and today's meme stock frenzy. They discuss the risks of gamified trading, the often misunderstood use of leverage, and how modern finance resembles gambling. Cliff also highlights the impact of machine learning in quant investing, cautioning about its opacity and limitations in spotting bubbles.
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Loss Aversion Dominates Investor Memory
- Losses psychologically hurt far more than equivalent gains, making investors remember bad years more vividly.
- Cliff Asness admits this bias affects even experienced investors and influences behavior despite rational models.
Respond To Losses Based On Root Cause
- If you lose for valuation-driven reasons, increase conviction and communicate why prices are irrational.
- If losses stem from model signals like momentum, reassess and consider apologizing or adjusting the model quickly.
Shorting AMC Backfired Publicly
- Cliff went on CNBC and named AMC as a short to illustrate quant signals despite holding only 12 basis points exposure.
- He received intense backlash because people took the short personally and felt insulted.







