The Fallacies of Stockhouse...I love pyschological behaviour and Ive based my entire finance career around understanding investor mindsets/decision making... The reason I love Stockhouse is because its a perfect view into the minds of retail and allows you to sample a biased but closer representation of how a very different side of the investment community (compared to High-Net Work and Institutional Money) make their decisions.
1) The average stockhouse investor does not invest full time (whether retired or still working) and can only dedicate a fraction of time to research versus professional investors
2) The average stockhouse investor does not have equivalent access to expert opinions or company insiders that the sell side does. They also have a fractional understanding of the motivations of the industry. (It would be like someone working at Chuckie Cheese saying they know how NASA makes budgetary decisions - even if you studied it for 10 years, until you actually get a seat at the table there are too many unknowns)
2a) Basic investment tenants come from past experience and selected readings but are rarely back tested to determine the limitations of those theories and their application to current events.
3) Given human nature, stockhouse members have two main interests 1) protecting their monikors status/reputation on the board and 2) finding evidence that proves their original thesis correct - also known as confirmation bias. (Your only goal should be make money)
4) Given the lack of barriers to entry of an account, bad actors and misinformation/misinterpretation is rampant.
5) Board members view opposing thoughts as "enemies", and often give equal emphasis to individuals not based on their experience but based on their initial opinions and how they convey them (largely because this is an anonymous board and only your history/opinions can be used as a basis for judgement).
8) Stockhouse investors on average, do not have the IQ or information suite to fairly debate and resort to straw man arguments
7) Stockhouse investors tend to anoint leaders who show hold popular views but who can articulate and attack opposing views (whether correct or not) as opposed to individuals experience or contribution to truth.
8) Stockhouse investors have no interest in confirming counter information because see point 1.
9) The ability to block out opposing thoughts only reinforces echo chamber beliefs which handicaps the flow of potential relevant information.
10) There is no accountability.
11) Human beings think they are better than they truly are or are at least unwilling to admit to their own naivety.
So here is a summary - the chosen advocates and leaders are largely unqualified to be listened to. You can't trust anything being said maybe not because its a lie but because the person saying it does not have the credibility deserving of voicing that opinion/influencing you. During periods of "change", the community is largely offisde or slow to realize there is a change occuring because they have removed the majority of parties who saw the change coming.
A key lesson a mentor told me is when you are trading/investing, you arent fighting the market or the opposing buyers/sellers - you are actually fighting yourself and your own shortcomings.
Some of this will sink in for some of you. Others can just put me on ignore. Either way... good luck, its only money after all.