Investors beware — don’t all move to the same side of the boat

Investors beware — don’t all move to the same side of the boat
A herd mentality has developed with huge sums of money flowing into new investment vehicles and loss-making companies.
Brian Gaynor
A common characteristic of frothy markets is when investors focus on the same opportunities, they effectively all move to one side of the boat at the same time.This occurred with investment trusts on Wall Street in the 1920s, with NZX-listed investment and property companies in the 1980s and with Nasdaq dot.com companies in the late 1990s.These mass movements usually occur when there is a huge increase in new market participants — individuals who start investing for the first time. The GameStop phenomenon on Wall Street has been a re...

More Opinion

The back-to-front ferry deal
Opinion

Pattrick Smellie: The back-to-front ferry deal

Will the wharves be ready when the new ferries arrive?

Pattrick Smellie 20 Nov 2025
AI is reshaping work – but not the way you think
Opinion

Peter Griffin: AI is reshaping work – but not the way you think

AI isn’t the job killer many predicted it would become.

Peter Griffin 19 Nov 2025
How KiwiSaver helped, maybe
Opinion

David Chaplin: How KiwiSaver helped, maybe

Has KiwiSaver really lifted the national confidence rate? Dunno.

David Chaplin 18 Nov 2025