The 16 rules every value investor should follow

Today I want a share with you a summary of an article made by Nick Kirrage, co-manager of the Schroder Recovery.

What would you say to a younger version of yourself? What wisdom would you impart? Could you boil it down to a set of rules to help hand success to the younger you?

A value investor screen the market for companies that look cheap compared to the long-term profits they have achieved and then ask ourselves: “Why can’t this business make these profits again?

Rule 1: Don’t continue to hold stocks that you wouldn’t buy today if you didn’t own them
Constantly review your reasons for first investing and ask yourself if they still stand.
Stocks don’t become better investments just because you hold them.

Rule 2: Don’t sell just because the price falls
People frequently sell out of underperforming stocks, when the best thing to do would be to wait - or buy more!

Rule 3: Don’t be ashamed to hold cash
Investors believe money left on the sidelines might miss out on dividend income and price gains. But cash is king when opportunities arrive. Cash enables value investors to buy at times of fear.

Rule 4: Don’t buy the dream
Don't buy businesses that are pinning all their hopes on the next model, invention or drug.

Rule 5: Don't buy single product companies
The general advice to investors about putting all eggs in one basket applies equally when evaluating the merits of single stocks.

Rule 6: Don’t buy stocks you don’t want to own in 12 months

Rule 7: Don’t buy stocks you wouldn’t want to buy more of if they fell 20 per cent for no reason
This is a good test for the true value investor. If your analysis is thorough – and constantly retested –have faith in your decisions, and the stomach to keep buying.

Rule 8: Only back companies with high debts if they are already priced for financial distress
This high risk strategy can yield results for the brave value investor. But it’s a difficult path to tread.

Rule 9: Don't chase stocks
For value investors, it is of course, all about the value. It is better to not get any of a stock than get too much at the wrong price.

Rule 10: Think long-term and forget about the index
We have a natural inclination to focus on other investors and the performance of stock market indices in the short-term. It can cloud your thinking.

Rule 11: Don’t let past performance affect future investment decisions
The desire to take more risk when you are ahead of the benchmark index and less when you are behind is powerful, but ultimately self defeating. Ask yourself, would you be doing this same trade if you were 10 per cent behind / ahead of the index? If the answer is no, why are you doing it?

Rule 12: You can’t predict volatility
Low volatility in the past doesn’t mean the same for the future. It can come out of nowhere. Consider the relative stability of bank shares in the years before the financial crisis. It can also disappear just as quickly, and often unexpectedly. For a patient, long-term investor, volatility is often an opportunity, not a threat.

Rule 13: Don’t buy and sell too much
Long-term investors don’t need to constantly trade. The only certainty with high turnover, is high fees.

Rule 14: Risk vs reward
The danger of losing money should dictate how much you buy, not your view of how much money you might make.

Rule 15: Focus on your weaknesses
Good investing is about identifying what you are bad at, not just what you are good at. People love to focus on their strengths, but trying to limit the impact of your weaknesses is just as important for fund managers. People who think they have no weaknesses are doomed to failure.

Rule 16: Keep it simple
Beware any investment strategy you can’t explain to a 12-year-old.

Credit to Nick Kirrage
Full article: https://www.trustnet.com/news/685859/the-16-rules-every-value-investor-should-follow-according-to-schroders-kirrage