ptg From the Library of Melissa Wong I N V E S T LIKE A ptg S H A R K From the Library of Melissa Wong In an increasingly competitive world, it is quality of thinking that gives an edge—an idea that opens new doors, a technique that solves a problem, or an insight that simply helps make sense of it all. We work with leading authors in the various arenas of business and finance to bring cutting-edge thinking and best-learning practices to a global market. ptg It is our goal to create world-class print publications and electronic products that give readers knowledge and understanding that can then be applied, whether studying or at work. To find out more about our business products, you can visit us at www.ftpress.com. From the Library of Melissa Wong I N V E S T LIKE A S H A R K How a Deaf Guy with No Job and Limited Capital Made a Fortune Investing in the Stock Market ptg James “RevShark” DePorre From the Library of Melissa Wong Vice President, Publisher: Tim Moore Associate Publisher and Director of Marketing: Amy Neidlinger Executive Editor: Jim Boyd Editorial Assistant: Pamela Boland Development Editor: Russ Hall Digital Marketing Manager: Julie Phifer Publicist: Amy Fandrei Marketing Coordinator: Megan Colvin Cover Designer: Ingredient Managing Editor: Gina Kanouse Project Editor: Betsy Harris Copy Editor: Gayle Johnson Proofreader: Kathy Bidwell Indexer: Erika Millen Compositor: codeMantra Manufacturing Buyer: Dan Uhrig © 2008 by James DePorre Published by Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as FT Press Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 Charts courtesy of TeleChart®which is a registered trademark of Worden Brothers, Inc., Five Oaks Office Park, 4905 Pine Cone Drive, Durham, NC 27707. Ph. (800) 776-4940 or (919) 408-0542. http://www.worden.com. This book is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in ren- dering legal, accounting or other professional services or advice by publishing this book. Each individ- ual situation is unique. Thus, if legal or financial advice or other expert assistance is required in a spe- cific situation, the services of a competent professional should be sought to ensure that the situation has been evaluated carefully and appropriately. The author and the publisher disclaim any liability, loss or risk resulting, directly or indirectly, from the use or application of any of the contents of this book. FT Press offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales. For more information, please contact U.S. Corporate and ptg Government Sales, 1-800-382-3419, [email protected]. For sales outside the U.S., please contact International Sales at [email protected]. Company and product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First Printing October 2007 ISBN-10: 0-13-221308-7 ISBN-13: 978-0-13-221308-0 Pearson Education Ltd. Pearson Education Australia PTY, Limited. Pearson Education Singapore, Pte. Ltd. Pearson Education North Asia, Ltd. Pearson Education Canada, Ltd. Pearson Educatión de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Pearson Education—Japan Pearson Education Malaysia, Pte. Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DePorre, James. Invest like a shark : how a deaf guy with no job and limited capital made a fortune investing in the stock market / James “RevShark” DePorre. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-13-221308-7 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Stocks. 2. Portfolio management. 3. Investment analysis. 4. Investments. 5. Stocks—United States. I. Title. HG4661.D47 2008 332.63'22—dc22 2007021594 From the Library of Melissa Wong To my wife, Gail, and our children, Anneliese, James III, and our ptg forthcoming new addition, Samuel. Everything I do is for you. And in memory of my father, James Louis DePorre, Sr., whose love and support will never be forgotten. From the Library of Melissa Wong This page intentionally left blank ptg From the Library of Melissa Wong Contents Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi Part I: Turning the Tables on Wall Street . . .1 Chapter 1: Shark Investing: Empowering the Individual Investor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Technology Empowers the Little Guy . . . . . . 6 The Whales of Wall Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 A New Approach: Shark Investing . . . . . . . . . 9 Becoming an Investing Shark . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ptg Chapter 2: The Making of an Investing Shark . . . 13 Endnote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Chapter 3: What Is Shark Investing? . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sharks Are Aggressive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sharks Are Opportunistic and Reactive . . . . 30 Sharks Stay in Continuous Motion and Are Always Looking for Their Next Meal . . . . . . 31 Sharks Plan Their Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Sharks Are Patient While They Wait for Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sharks Feed Best in the Middle of a Frenzied Crowd: Trend Following . . . . . . . . 35 Sharks Have Little Loyalty and Are Quick to Turn on Old Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Sharks Are Risk-Averse and Don’t Hesitate to Swim Away When Danger Lurks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 From the Library of Melissa Wong viii Contents Sharks Have an Attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Part II: Understanding the Way the Market Really Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chapter 4: Why Long-Term Buy-and-Hold Investing Is Far Riskier Than Shark Investing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Chapter 5: Why Conventional Investment Advice Ensures Mediocre Results . . . 55 The Financial Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Brokers and Financial Advisors . . . . . . . . . . 57 Educational Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 ptg Chapter 6: The Myths of Wall Street . . . . . . . . . . 61 Myth 1: Buy Low, Sell High . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Myth 2: Small, Unknown Stocks Are Only for Reckless Gamblers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Myth 3: You Can’t Time the Market, So You Should Stay Fully Invested at All Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Myth 4: Beating the Indices Should Be Your Primary Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Myth 5: Everyone Has Access to the Same Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Myth 6: Stock Charts Are Useless Voodoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Myth 7: You Should Buy What You Know . .71 Myth 8: There Is Only One Right Way to Invest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 From the Library of Melissa Wong Contents ix Chapter 7: Understanding Market Dynamics: Mood Swings, Feelings, and Irrationality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 The Market Is Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Fear Is the Ultimate Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 On Mourning and the Market . . . . . . . . . . . 78 The Wall of Worry and the Slope of Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Fear of a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Fear of Being Left Behind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 It Ain’t All Brains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 The Good News About Bad News . . . . . . . . 83 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Part III: Becoming a Shark Investor . . . . . . . 85 ptg Chapter 8: Implementing the Shark Investing Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 The Ten Commandments of Shark Investing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 1. Thou Shalt Protect Thy Capital . . . . . . 89 2. Thou Shalt Use a Money Management System Without Fail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 3. Thou Shalt Use Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 4. Thou Shalt Diversify Not Only by Security but Also by Price and Time Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 5. Thou Shalt Act Aggressively When the Odds Are in Thy Favor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 6. Thou Shalt Not Be Afraid to Sell . . . . . 92 7. Thou Shalt Respect the Illogic of the Market and the Role of Luck . . . . . . . . 92 8. Thou Shalt Not Invest as if You Are Managing a Fund, Unless You Are a Fund Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 From the Library of Melissa Wong