When I was an analyst at the uber-contrarian Avalon Research Group, we only initiated coverage on a stock if our opinion went against the consensus, or if the security was barely (or not at all) followed by Wall Street.
For this column, I'm going to focus on the latter - and show you how this seemingly unconventional investment strategy can actually make you a lot of money.
If you want quantifiable proof, consider this nice bit of research from Cem Demiroglu at Koc University in Turkey, and Michael Ryngaert at the University of Florida: In 2008, they conducted a study that showed that stocks without any analyst coverage experienced a 4.82% higher return than their peers after coverage initiation.
The lesson here is simple.
Solon
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What the Government Isn't Telling You About the New Healthcare Bill
In a vote that was held at 1 a.m. Monday, the Senate approved a procedural measure that makes it likely a version of the national healthcare bill will make it into law.
In fact, by taking advantage of an obscure rule that allowed lawmakers to start their day and vote on the measure well before dawn, Senate leaders were able to approve the measure and keep alive the possibility that the healthcare bill will be passed by Christmas.
But if you study the Senate bill carefully - no matter what your political persuasion may be - you have to wonder why they even bothered.
In fact, by taking advantage of an obscure rule that allowed lawmakers to start their day and vote on the measure well before dawn, Senate leaders were able to approve the measure and keep alive the possibility that the healthcare bill will be passed by Christmas.
But if you study the Senate bill carefully - no matter what your political persuasion may be - you have to wonder why they even bothered.