Volatility and Investment: The phenomenon where an asset’s price fluctuates over time is called volatility. Owning and reselling this volatile asset is known as an investment. The concept of buying and reselling an asset often causes us to overlook the fact that this process involves a trade-off between low-volatility and high-volatility assets. Cash is less volatile than stocks, and stocks are relatively more volatile. In other words, investing involves exchanging low-volatility assets for high-volatility assets and then switching back to low-volatility assets. Meanwhile, surplus profit is generated by the price differences caused by volatility. What would happen if we traded only highly volatile assets with each other? We would probably hesitate to exchange assets and might refrain from investing. In investing, there must be both low-volatility and high-volatility assets. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Human behavior and psychology are tricky and complex. If you ask someone who prefers short-term gains, “Would you like to get $1,000 now or $1,020 a year from now,” the person will choose the former. However, if you change the question, “Would you like to get $1,000 in 10 years or $1,020 in 11 years,” people will choose the latter. The taking of time and possessiveness are even under the same conditions, they make different choices. These two dominate the human personality. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”