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  • MJG July 2019
Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.

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Morgan Housel: The Psychology Of Prediction

FYI: During the Vietnam War Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tracked every combat statistic he could, creating a mountain of analytics and predictions to guide the war’s strategy.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.collaborativefund.com/blog/the-psychology-of-prediction/

Comments

  • Hi Guys,

    Making predictions is always hazardous duty, yet we do it all the time when making investment decisions.

    In the referenced article, I especially liked observation 12: “ Effort put into a prediction may increase confidence more than accuracy.“. Much truth in that statement. At various times we all fall into that inviting trap.

    None of us have even near perfect decision records. The challenges and uncertainties dominate that decision. That is built into the nature of the problem. The best we can hope for is a winning forecasting record. Experts suffer from this same performance problem over time. In the short run we can be lucky, but luck evens out in longer timeframes. Here is a Link to a very nice summary article that provides expert prediction performance data:

    https://www.cxoadvisory.com/gurus/

    The summary table did indeed surprise me. Among the experts examined, the highest correct prediction score was only 70%. Perhaps I should not say “only 70%”. On reflection, that’s not too bad a score. I wish my success record was that high! Decision making is a tough business.

    Best Wishes



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