4 Must-Know Investing Insights From an Interview With Howard Marks

Yesterday marked a memorable day for me as I never envisioned having the opportunity to engage in a conversation with one of the greatest investors in history and gather insights on the market.

During yesterday afternoon, I had the chance to exchange ideas and opinions with Howard Marks, co-founder, and co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management. We discussed many topics, such as his new book, current market conditions, and investing philosophy.

According to Howard:

"Investors shouldn't try to be too smart. Starting young and compounding for many years is the key to success regardless of macro conditions."

You can watch the full interview here:

Below are my top four takeaways from this incredible chat.

1. Invest for the Long Term

When considering the most crucial advice for investors, it boils down to a simple mantra: adopt a buy-and-hold strategy for the long term.

This approach emphasizes the importance of discipline, rational decision-making, and the ability to detach from emotions, paving the way for sustained success in the market.

In 100 years of history, the S&P 500 index has achieved an average annual performance of around 10%, and for 99% of investors, that is sufficient.

2. Never Attempt to Time the Markets

'Time in the market' is a lot better than 'timing the market.' It makes no sense to try to pick the highs and lows and move continuously.

Marks went on to quote Charlie Munger: Market timing demands not just one decision, but two: one for deciding when to exit the markets and another for determining when to re-enter. Often, both decisions turn out to be wrong.

3. Keep Emotions Aside

Investing because we are attached to a particular car or work for a specific company leads nowhere. We must be objective, look at the numbers and the business, and not make choices based on emotions.

4. Understand Market Cycles

People often tend to act counter to what is advisable. They tend to buy at market highs, driven by euphoria and optimism, only to sell at lows, overwhelmed by despair.

Howard Marks has successfully executed his best operations by acquiring assets during periods of extreme pessimism. He cites instances such as the collapse of emerging markets in the 1990s and the subprime crisis.

Contrary to prevailing trends, making decisions based on fundamentals and objective data often results in numerous satisfactions.

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Disclaimer: This article is written for informational purposes only; it does not constitute a solicitation, offer, advice, counsel or recommendation to invest as such it is not intended to incentivize the purchase of assets in any way. I would like to remind you that any type of asset, is evaluated from multiple points of view and is highly risky and therefore, any investment decision and the associated risk remains with the investor.