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People talk about the "Sports Illustrated cover jinx", and even a similar EA video game cover jinx, where making the cover precedes a period of underperformance
by dharmon 11y ago
People talk about the "Sports Illustrated cover jinx", and even a similar EA video game cover jinx, where making the cover precedes a period of underperformance.
I think a similar effect could be claimed for being called the next Buffett. There is a long list of investor casualties after such a comparison (including the ones you mentioned).
Most recently I'm thinking of Bill Ackman, who was on the cover of Fortune last year with the title "Baby Buffett"... right before a painful 20% tumble.
- abcampbell 11y agoAgree. Think it more just speaks to how hard it is to generate alpha in investing. It's like being the MVP of the NBA. The competition is fierce, and you are playing a zero-sum game, hence generating returns greater than available by putting money 'in the market' is hard and (sometimes) ephemeral.
- colmvp 11y agoMaking the cover of a magazine potentially highlights a zenith period in a persons career. It's pretty unrealistic to assume anyone, entrepreneur or executive or athlete, to consistent perform at their highest level or exceed it. If anything, it shouldn't be unexpected for a persons performance to regress immediately afterward due to probability.