Impact of the Media on Investments and Stock Market News

17

The economy and associated topics have been consistent in the past year’s worth of news and media coverage. Television news is widely viewed, with an average of more than 40 million people daily. No one should be surprised that the media affects investors’ daily decisions to buy and sell stocks, given the message’s importance and the audience’s size. Some little-known facts about the influence of the media on investor decisions and what may be done about it are revealed in this article.

Here are six situations where media and news have impacted stock market investment.

When a company or stock symbol is mentioned by name in the news or the media, it can significantly affect trading activity in that stock. The turnaround time is also impressive. A stock’s price can climb within minutes after a favorable media reference or plummet after a negative one.

2. Adverse Effects: Stocks belonging to other companies in the same sector or industry group are often negatively impacted by a specific reference in the news and media. Sometimes the referral has unintended implications, which is unfortunate. For instance, if Stock #1 is mentioned in the report for all the wrong reasons, its price will drop. Stock #2 is in the same sector as Stock #1. Therefore, a decline in its price is to be expected. Investors who own Stock #1 or Stock #2 will likely sell their holdings swiftly to cash in on gains or cut their losses as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Share #2 may not be affected by the bad press that was recently released regarding Share #1. If this is the case, there is no justification for Stock #2’s recent price decline. Investors familiar with the company linked to Stock #2 may view this as a bargain and act swiftly to purchase more shares. The market will usually immediately realize the unintended negative impact, and the price of Stock #2 will start to climb again. Investors with experience are pleased with their bargain-basement purchases. Existing shareholders who sold Stock #2 in response to a reduction in its price are likely to be disappointed now that they understand the stock’s value should not have fallen under those conditions.

Third, Major Developments: Company-specific news immediately impacts share prices, as previously mentioned. However, following news reports on the same day or within the same week can sometimes trump the earlier company-specific reports. A stock’s price may have started to climb in response to the first piece of news but then reversed course after the second piece of information came out. Most investors will be caught off guard by this, and it will have regrettable but genuine implications.

Fourth, who can I trust? Many news and media outlets include “guest experts” knowledgeable in a particular economy or market area. This is an excellent feature of their news programs. However, Listening to these experts makes it clear that they cannot even reach a unanimous conclusion. Most investors want to know the answers to their queries, yet they may be irritated by the lack of clarity. While this may put off some investors, it ultimately benefits the business because it gives those same investors more information to put together a more complete “big picture” view.

Avoid “herd mentality” by not following the crowd while reacting to news and media coverage. Usually, the view of a small group or individual is all it takes to get the bulls excited rather than solid investment ideas. Over time, viewers of financial talk shows and readers of financial magazines come to trust the stock picks of these experts. Whenever this “leader of the bulls” recommends buying a stock, the herd follows suit shortly after the market closes. Many of these buy orders are filled at prices far higher than the previous day’s closing price, which can cause the stock price to swiftly jump or gap up when the market opens the following day. When other traders observe a stock’s growing price, they often order to do the same, further pushing its price. Some people in the herd may lose money because the inflated stock price is only transitory, and the price eventually returns to more reasonable levels. Do not “run with the bulls,” as the saying goes. Hold off making a judgment until you’ve had a chance to conduct your own fundamental and technical study of the company and see what the price does over the next week.

Be wary of stale information; many stock market investors underestimate institutional investors’ power. Institutional investors are “groups that pool substantial resources to make investments in businesses,” according to Wikipedia. Their economic function is to invest in niche markets on behalf of others. Institutional investors include banks, insurance firms, brokerages, pension funds, mutual funds, investment banks, and hedge funds. Institutional investors can take advantage of in-house experts who analyze the merits of a company and advise on whether or not to purchase its stock. The media usually learns about the efforts of

these experts and the institution’s investing activities only after the fact, by which time the price may have been artificially inflated. At that point, the media might broadcast the price increase as “old news” without realizing it. This news may encourage more investors to purchase the stock, further boosting its price. This can cause prices to rise artificially, albeit they tend to fall once the original news story stops making headlines. Keep an eye on markers of institutional activity that might be gleaned from technical analysis. Take your time and think it out. Do not reply to stale information.

Conclusion:

The stock market is a dangerous place for an amateur investor to be. Investment success, however, is feasible for those who put in the time to learn the ropes, do their homework, and keep the larger picture in mind.

* Recognize news and media outlets for what they are: regular individuals reporting the information as accurately as possible in an ever-evolving, politically and economically fraught global environment. Don’t take everything you read as gospel; writers and reporters can’t possibly be experts in everything. Instead, piecing together a broad perspective from several historical sources would be best. Think about that in light of your education and expertise as you consider potential investments.

The president of Trader Training Schools is Richard Gunderson. He’s been working in the industry and teaching others about it for 30 years. He has a thorough understanding of the difficulties novices face when first learning stock market basics, how to select the best stocks, when to enter the market, and how to formulate an individual investment strategy to minimize risk, thanks to his formal education in finance and years of experience trading online. Visit Trader Training Schools to learn more.

Read also: https://journalall.com/category/business/