Outsmarting the Smart Money

This volume looks at how investors can rethink their learning about investments. The author argues that many investors are inadvertently building their portfolios on shaky foundations, based on preconceived notions about the markets, misleading and exploitative information and a lack of knowledge and understanding. This book aims to help readers recognize where the dangers are and how to avoid making costly mistakes. Despite claims that the stock market is efficient and rational, Cunningham asserts that investors actually operate in a world that is full of messy decision-making. In fact, emotions, biases and behaviour all play an equal role with cold analysis and probability theory. Loss aversion, frame dependence and probabilities combine to make investing a challenging undertaking. In order to succeed, investors must outsmart the "big money" and become smart investors themselves. The first challenge is overcoming the biases and misconceptions that shape them. Cunningham shows that behavioural baggage often means that investors are actually drawn toward opportunities that exploit them. Because of that, it is easy for insiders and "the smart money" to take advantage of investors.
Cunningham explains why it is important for investors to understand the biases that put them at a disadvantage. He shows how investors can learn to avoid succumbing to the spin in various business and financial reports. And, he reveals how important it is to wake up to market inefficiency and how this inefficiency is exploited by financial professionals. In doing so, he aims to give readers the tools they need to think for themselves and invest for the long term. This book provides a useful source for learning about the behavioural forces and cognitive biases that affect investment strategy.