Investors are irrational or naive

Question

Explain how companies with substandard financial history can draw the attention of investors. Are investors irrational or naive?

Answer 1

There may be some companies in the world whose performance in the past may not be good due to poor management, poor market condition, increased competition, introduction of substitutes in the market. All these can lead to decrease in revenue and ultimately profits. Now there may be companies whose financial performance has decreased not due to some mismanagement but due to some hard hitting abnormal conditions such as poor market etc.

Investors look out for distressed investments so that they can purchase the stake at low valuations. Investors know which company has good prospects and they can exit such investments at a high valuation at a later stage. They are very smart individuals.

Investors are neither irrational nor naive. They took any investment decisions based on many factors such as future growth of the sector, the competition in the market, how to maximize returns etc. They take decisions after they know that they will get their required Rate of return from the investment. Further, investors are also not naive. It is their hard earned money. They make investments only after they are reasonably sure of a good and profitable exit. They apply various techniques of valuation to evaluate a company before investing in it. They do not invest in a company just by their whim They also have mandate which they have to fulfill.