Active investing. Who would do it?

[dmedin]

I hear a lot about fundamentals and dividends.  Dividends are pitiful, and fundamentals don't seem to make any difference.

Why would anyone invest by buying shares?

Has anyone ever had success doing it?

Stuff like meeting the execs, getting 'news' and info, analysing the industry, sizing up a company's 'moat', does any of that work?  Unless you are Peter Lynch.

It seems like a load of even bigger b*llocks than technical analysis.

[THT]

1 hour ago, dmedin said:

I hear a lot about fundamentals and dividends.  Dividends are pitiful, and fundamentals don't seem to make any difference.

Why would anyone invest by buying shares?

Has anyone ever had success doing it?

Stuff like meeting the execs, getting 'news' and info, analysing the industry, sizing up a company's 'moat', does any of that work?  Unless you are Peter Lynch.

It seems like a load of even bigger b*llocks than technical analysis.

We used to Interview fund managers who were investing funds for us/our clients when I was a Financial Adviser - to get a scope of the manager and funds objectives (before the days of info sheets) - Soon work out its a guessing game at the end of the day

Buying and Hold only works because the bias of the market is UPWARDS - but over 30+ years you'll make on average 10% growth + divis  per annum - and to top it off you'll be forced to sit through 2-3 50% corrections 

Most people as Benjamin Graham once said, would be just as well holding a low cost tracker for life

Best time to buy and I'm going back through 15 years of memory here is I think Larry Williams of the Williams %R Indicator, said buy when the div yield of the SP500 is 6%+ which means it's dropped 50% in capital value - work out how to do that and you'll trounce the fund managers and buy and holders - 50% drops don't come often on the main indexes