Robin Powell & Barry Ritholtz/ The Big Picture – Investors need to learn to sit on their hands
Hello there. It’s deeply ingrained in the human psyche that taking action is a positive thing. And in many cases it is. But successful investing usually entails the very opposite — in other words, discipline and self-restraint, feeling comfortable with doing nothing.
Here’s Barry Ritholtz, one of the most popular investment bloggers in the United States.
I began as a trader and I sat next to a row of guys and one guy was making a lot of money and the guy next to me wan’t making money. It kind of perplexed me as a newbie, how can these two guys, how are more or less…it looks like they doing the same thing, you know, moving there stuff around on the screen, buying and selling that. This guy is really profitable, this guy isn’t. And so, it started me about 20 years ago researching what was then the nascent field of behavioural economics. Why peoples psychology works against them, why the way we’re wired, your own wetware works against you in capital markets. And that gradually, over time I became less and less active as an investor. My holding periods became longer and longer and eventually I more or less adapted, I don’t want to say Warren Buffet’s “my holding period is for ever” but you start thinking about in terms of decades, not weeks and months.
One of the problems we face as investors is that we’re surrounded by “noise”. For example, we see and hear stories on radio and television about markets falling or rising sharply, and we’re tempted to act on impulse. And the newspapers are full of ideas about the latest investment opportunities. Almost invariably though, the best course of action for those with the right investment strategy in place, is inaction.
The biggest enemy of an investor is themselves. There is an number of studies that look at investor performance. Not versus a bench mark but versus their own holdings. And most investors underperform their own holdings. Now why is that? Well, some guys shows up on TV, his fund is up strong that year, the looks the part, he sounds good, so investors all pile into that. And what happens at that point: The mean reversion begins and after that hot streak comes to an end that fund either goes back to normal returns or worse, it makes up for that strong period. So what did they do?They sell out of the bottom. The ideal time to buy is not when somethings had a huge run up and the guys on the cover of a neutral fund magazine, it’s because I want exposure to that asset class and this is the least expensive and most efficient way to get that exposure.
Thank you to Barry Ritholtz for that insight, and to you for watching. Goodbye.
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Franklin MSCI World Catholic Principles UCITSETF USD Capitalisation (FLXA ETF), ISIN IE000AZOUN82, försöker spåra MSCI World Select Catholic Principles ESG Universal och Low Carbon-index. MSCI World Select Catholic Principles ESG Universal och Low Carbon Index spårar stora och medelstora värdepapper från utvecklade länder över hela världen. De utvalda företagen screenas enligt deras koldioxidexponering, deras ESG-profil (miljö, social och styrning) och katolska principer. Som ett resultat är företag som är involverade i vapen, hasardspel, vuxenunderhållning, abort, preventivmedel, stamcellsforskning och djurförsök uteslutna.
Den börshandlade fondens TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 0,27 % p.a. Franklin MSCI World Catholic Principles UCITSETF USD Capitalization är den enda ETF som följer MSCI World Select Catholic Principles ESG Universal och Low Carbon-index. ETFen replikerar det underliggande indexets prestanda genom fullständig replikering (köper alla indexbeståndsdelar). Utdelningarna i ETFen ackumuleras och återinvesteras.
Franklin MSCI World Catholic Principles UCITSETF USD Capitalization är en liten ETF med tillgångar på 34 miljoner euro under förvaltning. Denna ETF lanserades den 24 april 2024 och har sin hemvist i Irland.
Det betyder att det går att handla andelar i denna ETF genom de flesta svenska banker och Internetmäklare, till exempel DEGIRO, Nordnet, Aktieinvest, SAVR och Avanza.
2024 was a landmark year for bitcoin, solidifying its role as a fully institutionalised asset class.
Institutional inflows into physical bitcoin exchange-traded products (ETPs) reached nearly $35 billion globally, signalling a major shift in how traditional investors view crypto. As bitcoin continued to enhance portfolios’ risk-return profiles, more institutional investors followed suit, reshaping the financial landscape.
Looking ahead, 2025 promises to bring exciting developments across the crypto ecosystem. Here are the top five crypto trends to watch.
Fear of being left behind
The era of bitcoin as a niche investment is over. Institutional adoption is creating a ripple effect, forcing hesitant players to reconsider. Portfolios with bitcoin allocations are consistently outperforming those without, highlighting its growing importance.
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. From 31 December 2013 to 30 November 2024. In USD. Based on daily returns. The 60/40 Global Portfolio is composed of 60% MSCI All Country World and 40% Bloomberg Multiverse. You cannot invest directly in an index. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
With bitcoin’s ability to noticeably improve portfolios’ risk-return profiles, asset managers face a clear choice: integrate bitcoin into multi-asset portfolios or risk falling behind in a rapidly evolving financial landscape. In 2025, expect the competition to heat up as clients demand exposure to this powerhouse cryptocurrency.
Expanding crypto investment options
In 2024, regulatory breakthroughs opened the doors for physical bitcoin and ether ETPs in key developed markets. This marked a critical step towards making cryptocurrencies mainstream, providing seamless access to institutional and retail investors alike.
Figure 2: Global physical crypto ETP assets under management (AUM) and 2024 net flows
Source: Bloomberg, WisdomTree. 02 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
In 2025, this momentum is expected to accelerate as the crypto regulatory environment becomes more friendly in the United States and as key developed markets follow Europe’s lead and approve ETPs for altcoins such as Solana and XRP. With their clear utility and growing adoption, these altcoins are strong candidates for institutional investment vehicles.
This next wave of altcoin ETPs will expand the diversity of crypto investment opportunities and further integrate cryptocurrencies into the global financial system.
The maturing of Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem
Ethereum’s role as the backbone of decentralised finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and Web3 is unmatched, but its scalability challenges remain a hurdle. Layer-2 solutions—technologies such as Arbitrum and Optimism—are transforming Ethereum’s scalability and usability by enabling faster, cheaper transactions.
In 2025, Ethereum’s recent upgrades, such as Proto-Danksharding (introduced in the ‘Dencun’ upgrade), will drive layer-2 adoption even further. Innovations like Visa’s layer-2 payment platform leveraging Ethereum for instant cross-border transactions will underscore the platform’s evolution.
Expect Ethereum’s layer-2 ecosystem to power real-world use cases ranging from tokenized assets to decentralised gaming, positioning it as the infrastructure of a truly scalable digital economy.
Stablecoins: bridging finance and blockchain
Stablecoins are becoming indispensable to the global financial system, offering the stability of traditional assets with the efficiency of blockchain. Platforms such as Ethereum dominate the stablecoin landscape, hosting stablecoin giants Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), which facilitate billions in daily transactions.
Figure 3: Key stablecoin chains
Source: Artemis Terminal, WisdomTree. 05 January 2025. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investment may go down in value.
As we move into 2025, stablecoins will increasingly interact with blockchain ecosystems such as Solana and XRP. Solana’s high-speed, low-cost infrastructure makes it ideal for stablecoin payments and remittances, while XRP Ledger’s focus on cross-border efficiency positions it as a leader in global settlements. With institutional adoption rising and DeFi applications booming, stablecoins will serve as the backbone of a seamless, interconnected financial ecosystem.
Tokenization: redefining ownership and revolutionising finance
Tokenization is set to redefine how we think about ownership and value. By converting tangible assets like real estate, commodities, stocks, and art into digital tokens, tokenization breaks down barriers to entry and creates unprecedented liquidity.
In 2025, tokenization will expand dramatically, empowering investors to own fractions of high-value assets. Platforms such as Paxos Gold and AspenCoin are already showcasing how tokenization can revolutionize markets for gold and luxury real estate. The integration of tokenized assets into DeFi will unlock new financial opportunities, such as using tokenized real estate as collateral for loans. As tokenization matures, it will transform industries ranging from private equity to venture capital, creating a more inclusive and efficient financial system.
For the avoidance of any doubt, tokenization complements crypto by expanding the use cases of blockchain to include real-world applications.
Looking ahead
2025 is set to be a defining year for crypto, as innovation, regulation, and adoption converge. Whether it is bitcoin cementing its position as a portfolio staple, Ethereum scaling for mainstream use, or tokenization unlocking liquidity in untapped markets, the crypto ecosystem is poised for explosive growth. For investors and institutions alike, the opportunities have never been clearer or more compelling.
This material is prepared by WisdomTree and its affiliates and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of the date of production and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by WisdomTree, nor any affiliate, nor any of their officers, employees or agents. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Fidelity Sustainable Research Enhanced Global Equity UCITSETFAcc (FGLR ETF) med ISIN IE00BKSBGV72, är en aktivt förvaltad ETF.
Denna ETF investerar i aktier från utvecklade marknader över hela världen. Värdepapper väljs ut enligt hållbarhet och grundläggande kriterier.
Den börshandlade fondens TER (total cost ratio) uppgår till 0,25 % p.a. Fidelity Sustainable Research Enhanced Global Equity UCITSETFAcc är den enda ETF som följer Fidelity Sustainable Research Enhanced Global Equity-index. ETFen replikerar det underliggande indexets prestanda genom fullständig replikering (köper alla indexbeståndsdelar). Utdelningarna i ETFen ackumuleras och återinvesteras.
Fidelity Sustainable Research Enhanced Global Equity UCITSETFAcc är en liten ETF med tillgångar på 45 miljoner euro under förvaltning. Denna ETF lanserades den 27 maj 2020 och har sin hemvist i Irland.
Investeringsmål
Fonden strävar efter att uppnå långsiktig kapitaltillväxt från en portfölj som huvudsakligen består av aktier i företag med säte globalt.
Det betyder att det går att handla andelar i denna ETF genom de flesta svenska banker och Internetmäklare, till exempel DEGIRO, Nordnet, Aktieinvest, SAVR och Avanza.