Many of todays market leaders have surprised everyone— their managements, investors, even themselves

Chasing success but not weeding out red flags? Why successful long-term investing is not achieved without short-term consistency They didnt become giants because someone accurately predicted their rise a decade ago. They succeeded because they executed well, continuously, over multiple 2-3-year periods

Dhirendra Kumar

CEO, Value Research

A persistent myth in investing is that success requires an almost mystical ability to predict the future. Conventional wisdom suggests that to be a successful investor, you must possess the foresight to identify the next Apple or Infosys years before its ascent. What if this approach fundamentally misunderstands how the markets work?

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I recently encountered some fascinating insights from Samir Arora, a veteran of India’s mutual fund industry. His perspective challenges conventional wisdom and aligns perfectly with what I’ve long advocated in this column—sometimes, the best investment strategy isn’t about being brilliant; it’s about being prudent.

Here’s the reality that most investment gurus won’t tell you. In any given year, about one-third of stocks perform exceptionally well, another third perform poorly, and the rest fall somewhere in the middle. This pattern holds true across markets, including our own. The challenge isn’t finding the winners; there are plenty of them. The real challenge is avoiding the losers.

This brings us to what Arora calls ‘elimination investing’. The concept is elegantly simple. Instead of predicting the stocks that will soar, focus on eliminating the stocks with red flags. It’s generally easier to identify what might go wrong than to predict what will go spectacularly right.

Think about it this way. While buying a house, you don’t start by looking for one with perfect features. Instead, you first eliminate properties with deal breakers—poor location, structural issues, or price tags beyond your budget. The same principle applies to investing. But what about long-term investing?

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Here’s another myth-busting insight. True long-term success often comes from a series of well-executed medium-term decisions. Instead of trying to predict where a company will be in 10 years (something even their management teams struggle with), focus on 2-3-year horizons. This time frame allows you to assess industry trends, regulatory changes, and competitive dynamics in a better manner.

Consider this: many of today’s market leaders have surprised everyone—their management, investors, even themselves—with their growth trajectory. They didn’t become giants because someone accurately predicted their rise a decade ago. They succeeded because they executed well, continuously, over multiple 2-3-year periods.

For the practical investor, this approach offers several advantages:

First, it’s more forgiving. You don’t need to be right about everything; you just need to be good at spotting obvious risks. If a company has poor management but attractive valuations, eliminate it. If it’s run well but grossly overvalued, eliminate it. Be liberal in your rejections. Remember, there are plenty of good investments that still remain.

Second, it’s more realistic. Analyzing a company’s prospects over 2-3 years is far more manageable than trying to predict its position a decade from now. You can reasonably assess industry trends, the regulatory environment, and competitive advantages within this time frame.

Finally, it’s more adaptable. By regularly reviewing your positions every few years, you can adjust to changing circumstances. If a company continues to execute well, you can maintain your position. If new risks emerge, you can eliminate them from your portfolio.

This doesn’t mean you should trade frequently or abandon the principles of patient investing. Rather, successful long-term investing is a series of well-executed medium-term decisions, each made carefully considering what could go wrong.

This approach offers a practical path forward for the average investor. Instead of chasing the next big thing or trying to predict the distant future, focus on eliminating obvious risks and maintaining a reasonable time horizon. It’s not as exciting as hunting for the next multi-bagger, but in investing, boring is often beautiful. Remember, wealth creation isn’t about making brilliant predictions; it’s about consistently making sensible decisions while avoiding major mistakes. Sometimes, the best investment strategy isn’t about finding what to buy but knowing what to avoid.

The Author is CEO, VALUE RESEARCH
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)

This story originally appeared on: India Times - Author:Faqs of Insurances