A year’s salary in one week? I’ll take that. Down a year’s salary since the beginning of the year? Oops and ouch, but that’s part of the story too. Stocks are volatile, or can be. The world is volatile, and has been for a while. It is easy to get distracted by the swings, but it’s the long term and what’s happening when it is time to sell that are what matter.

By the way, the last time I had data from a year’s salary was 1997. Some adjustments might be necessary. In today’s dollars, think in terms of new-car money but not new-house money.

Let’s keep it simple. QBTS was up ~54% this week. Others, too, to different amounts. Yay! Friends might cheer. My portfolio is down since the beginning of the year. Argh and oof.

Stocks are supposed to move based on news, facts, and data that deal with the company. Nice idea. Wars change things, regardless of whether they directly affect the company.

Pick a day or a month or some random time and the stocks will have moved. Stocks don’t stand still. The market has market makers that keep things volatile, even when the world says otherwise.

The world has been volatile. Oy.

Stocks and the market have been volatile. Blame the war(s).

Social injustice, climate change, politics, and artificial intelligence aren’t going to quiet to nothing soon. Each is getting busier. The markets are going to be volatile. Investments can be forgiven for bouncing around.

It was up. Why didn’t you sell? It was down. Why didn’t you buy? Traders do.

I think of myself as an investor. I know people who are more cautious. I know people who are more aggressive. I buy for the long term and sell when it makes sense or when I need the money. I watch stocks daily, but prefer to trade once a year, maybe twice. It can be stressful (and poor tax policy) to trade more often.

QBTS was in a slump, but it was more from sentiment than events. Then, QBTS regained some investor confidence, and the stock went up. Artemis went around the Moon (yay!), which didn’t include LUNR, but I’m not complaining as it went up too.

Evidently, few folks can manage the potential emotional swings.
Evidently, I can; the two one-time criminal debacles weren’t easy.

Volatility is not a sign of corporate health. MVIS swings ever day, but the stock and the company go nowhere – so far.

Volatility is enforced to make sure there’s a market for the stock (so I understand). I know traders who have proudly made major bucks by buying, selling, repeat MVIS stock regardless of whether Microvision makes product progress.

I type this on a Friday night. By the numbers, this was a good week. By the news, the companies made progress, good technical progress, but not significant financial progress (except LUNR, but that story may get told later.) 

In my opinion, investing can benefit from some emotion, but shouldn’t be ruled by it. Nothing should be ruled without considering logic. Only considering logic might work, dullness lives at the end of that path.

I’m glad for the positive volatility, and am even enjoying a drink as I type; but today I went dancing and had far more fun. Investing can be good, but there’s more to life than money.