GameStop shops mainly sold physical video games. They would also stock many resale items. The physical locations capitalized on the same type of business that comic book shops often had by selling collectibles as well. Many projected that Game Stop had a very limited future and had been cut out of the supply chain as many electronic games are simply sold online in recent years. Hedge funds had high interest in shorting GameStop at the end of 2020. In January 2021 a long position idea existed...

The Electric Vehicle (EV) Bubble is rising and appears to be starting to burst. Issuances continue to pick up. The entire basket of EV stocks that we discussed in Episode #68 of Mental Models Podcast is now DOWN 42 % (at the time of this recording). The market will fluctuate and we will likely experience a surge with the approval of the US government stimulus. At this point it’s fair to declare the EV bubble BURST! Observing the current market is analogous to being a sea captain in the...

Financial insecurity impacts our brain and body throughout human development. Stress is increased with more authority & responsibility. Lessons from of Robert Sapolsky’s book “Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst” For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed book “Understanding Behavioral Bia$” on Amazon - link here: http://amzn.to/2XHtsOE Continue to listen to Mental Models Podcast to avoid the biases that are...

Brain and Investing lessons that we took from the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (2017). An excellent read covering many surprising insights about human behavior from individuals to global institutions. From a scientific standpoint this book highlights the unique cognitive capacity of Homo sapiens. We can imagine theoretical constructs that cannot actually exist. This tendency gave rise to our ability to create other fictions that we live by. These include monetary systems, corporations,...

Mental Models Podcasts predicts that this historic and unprecedented bubble will crash by the second quarter of 2021. Bubbles are driven by narratives. Bubbles have an end but timing the end of the bubble is unknown, which is the risky part, and very different than sports betting. Predictors are, volatility, age tilt, issuance, market cave, and acceleration. How do you understand bubbles...visiting with historical features of bubbles, academic literature, lessons learned from Saberpoint...

COVID-19 has created an unprecedented impact on the stock market. There have been clear wining and losing stocks in 2020, where will these stock go in 2021? We review the uncharted stock market ahead, stocks to consider travel, #RV, #technologies, & #paper products. So much more to think about with the change that the vaccines for COVID_19 will bring - #hope for a healthier economy. For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed...

Analogies help when we are faced with new challenges. Current events matter for the stock market, let’s frame these current events in relationship to historical perspective of the 2016 election and the impact of the market. ‘Political theater’ impacts the stock market, with the unknowns of the last 4 years and the uncertainty of the control of the senate for 2021. The. Market is a forward looking mechanism and what is the market thinking about the future, in terms of the most positive and...

A talent that you have, but will it last, unlikely! We all want that superior money earning performance to continue, and we enjoy the success of an individual over a team (Jessie Walker and Tom Gilovitch reported on it in 2020, links below). Because we like narratives and we want to be the hero of our story, just like Kolby Bryant or LeBron James were for the Lakers. For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed book “Understanding...

Hot hand effect is the mystic behind your winning streak, despite all of your theorizing. There are many factors that explain the wins in the stock market, but the hot hand effect/bias is one to consider. For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed book “Understanding Behavioral Bia$” on Amazon - link here: http://amzn.to/2XHtsOE Continue to listen to Mental Models Podcast for updates on the current state of the market. Stay safe and...

Moving parts of the current economy has been influenced by the pandemic. This is an unprecedented time and reflects a poor experimental design. What is changing and what is holding steady, if anything? The government continues to print money, but has delayed another stimulus package. At one end the economy is being squeezed, (leisure and travel) and at the other end expanded, (home goods and home improvements). 2020 is about trying something new and innovative as we continue to adjust to the...

Compassion and our basic human values drive us. In this episode we revisit a popular episode, and discuss values in detail from both an investing & psychological perspective. Our mental models of other people’s behavior. As the market turns…Stay safe and healthy out there! For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed book “Understanding Behavioral Bia$” on Amazon - link here: http://amzn.to/2XHtsOE Join Dr. Dan Krawczyk,...

Spotify changing up the podcasting distribution - does it make Spotify a good investment? Spotify is scooping up top podcasters like Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian to enhance their reach and overall product. Mental Models Podcast is waiting on the phone call from Spotify, we are ready to join the A listers! As the market turns…Stay safe and healthy out there! For more on best investing strategies, avoiding bias and learning about your brain BUY 5 star reviewed book “Understanding Behavioral...

How does COVID-19 continue to influence market decisions? Online and e-commerce are impacting the market, as is the upcoming presidential election. What opportunities will the stock market provide? Small cap and large cap are seeing growth, and the indices are up, despite the “wall of worry” from possible presidential change. There is a tremendous liquidity put in the market and indices are up. As the market turns…Stay safe and healthy out there! For more on best investing strategies,...

What is the psychology of HOW Disney stock is traded due to #COVID-19? Disney provides ‘top notch escapism’ via multiple arms of the corporation. Additionally, psychology of Disney power is the ‘autobiographical memories’ associated with the Disney ears, Walt Disney himself, and the Disney Park experience. The stock will likely ride the COVID_19 wave despite, at least 50% of their operations having been impacted by COVID-19. Disney stock has held up; trading from about $150 to about $120....

Risk is always a part of investing but even more with the unknowns of opening and closing of the economy. Another factor driving the market is the money the feds are pumping out. Also, the influx of Robinhood accounts, driven by the lack of outlet for risky behavior (i.e. sports betting) and the stimulus checks. What happens to the stock market when sports open back up and those investors jump ship? There is a gap between Main Street and Wall Street, where will it take the market? Fear,...

Everyone needs toilet paper! The initial increase in buying of toilet paper (AKA tissue paper) at the start of the COVID-19 crisis was likely due to a hoarding response, which is an instinctive psychological bias response found in nature. Hoarding is not always negative, in this case those that bought lots of toilet paper and hand sanitizer were more prepared. Tissue/Toilet paper made for home use is a different product, then toilet paper made for a public toilet. Although hoarding may not be...

Psychological research can inform our behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. How do we decide what is the most effective response and how we will act? Follow along with the research article from Nature Human Behaviour “Using Social and Behavioral Science to Support COVID-19 Pandemic Response” (link below). First, as humans we have a tribal response, and we stick with our group and take advice from our group leader. Who we listen too depends on our tribal orientation. Other factors on advice...

Jan. - Feb., 2020 was a period of ‘psychological inoculation’, in that we have heard this before, viruses come and go, like the flu and N1H1, and we will be okay. March - April, 2020 was a period of acknowledgment, that this virus is real and dangerous. Followed by the rapid onset of fear, resulting in a stress response. Fear is usually a quick moment that passes. That has not happened with the pandemic. Stress usually results in action, and there was some actions by individuals and...

Norepinephrine sends signals widely throughout the brain that move us into a task motivated stated. A brain regain called the locus coeruleus located in the brain stem is involved in the release of norepinephrine. As we shift to a more passive state, another type of brain cell called astrocytes take over (they get their name from their star shape). Astrocytes cells support neurons in the brain, and are the most abundant glial cells in the brain. A study by Yu Mu et al, 2019 (link below)...

Global economy has stalled in early 2020 due to COVID-19 and governments have provided stimuli. The stock market has rallied; SMP is up from the bottom which is the most dramatic rise of the market EVER! CONCERN: exuberance in the market does not take into account the return to normal, as there is a new normal, which is still unknown. Narratives fill the gaps of unknown reality, and the narratives are less reliable than ever before, since analogies are made in the context of experience. Many...

African Swine Fever in China has depopulated the hog heard in China. China is responsible for 50% of global production and consumption of pork. The coronavirus was completely unexpected and has further impacted the pork market with meat packing plants closing due to workers and their family members, sadly becoming ill or dying from Covid-19. Closure of meat packing plants to protect the meat packing workers and their families is necessary and the right this to do! The amount of pork in cold...

Our basic human values drive us and drives up our oxytocin levels in our brain. Provided are applied examples of values in the investing world. We consider the basic human values by Shalom Schwartz tying together and the interesting relationships among the different values.We talk conservatism, openness to change, benevolence, universalism, achievement, and power. We discuss how these values are embedded and carried out within the networks of our brain. The pie chart of basic human values...

Analogies help our brains understand a current event often using a past event, but with our brain filling in unknown gaps and creating possible dangerous inferences. Comparisons between the flue, N1H1, SARS, 1918 flu or even 9/11 are likely dangerous for understanding how society and investments will be impacted. Current events are different than past events. Analogies start forming from a ‘target analogy’, such as a believed equivalent past event, then our brains begin a mapping process...

How do we think psychologically about numbers? Especially in relation to the Covid-19 2020 pandemic and the impact on the stock market. Take into consideration the effect of the Anchoring bias and Base Rate Neglect in your mental model and decision making. A recession will come following the 2020 pandemic along with changes in behavior which will unmask unexpected changes. Be prepared, learn more on the topic of Cognitive Biases and how we think to improve your financial gain in the market,...