We Believe the Popular Phrase "You Can’t Time Markets" is a Myth
Timing markets is hard, but it’s absolutely possible.
For decades, investors have heard the same advice: “You can’t time the market.” Financial advisors say it and Wall Street repeats it.
But what if this widely-believed rule is actually a big myth?
At CI Volatility, we prove this myth wrong every single day.
Yes, Most People Fail at Timing
The myth survives because most individual investors DO fail when they try to time markets. Most investors fail because they are probably using emotions and TV headlines to find tops and bottoms. But that doesn’t mean timing is impossible. It means they’re doing it wrong.
At CI Volatility:
We Have the Data: We can now see real-time information on market movements, investor sentiment, volatility patterns, and how different assets move together.
We Have the Computing Power: Modern computers can crunch millions of numbers in seconds, spotting patterns that retail investors could never see on their own.
Volatility Follows Patterns: Markets behave in repeatable ways. These patterns can be measured and tracked.
It’s never about predicting with 100% accuracy. It’s about spotting when the odds are in your favor and acting on it such as:
Recognizing situations that have historically led to specific outcomes
Measuring when investor fear or greed reaches extremes
Think of it like this: casinos don’t know what the next card will be, but they make money because they understand the probabilities. That’s what we do with markets.
Don’t Listen to TV Heads
The financial industry has reasons to keep promoting the “you can’t time markets” message. The real reason Wall Street tells people not to time markets is simple. If you believe timing is impossible, you will always stay invested. And if you always stay invested, the financial industry always earns fees. Their incentive is for you to never change your exposure. Our incentive is to help you make money.
But think about it: If timing markets is truly impossible, why do central banks carefully time their decisions? Why do hedge funds and banks hire teams of data scientists?
Timing markets is hard, but it’s absolutely possible.