Forget the crystal ball and focus on the fundamentals

In general, it is not the best policy to predict where markets are headed. It is more pertinent an investor focuses on company fundamentals rather than trying to generate good returns by successfully calling what the price of oil will be in three months time, where interest rates are headed or whether Chinese economic growth will be sustained. While these factors are used to gauge how markets will be affected, the success for an investor is not predicated on forecasting, which is not a repeatable skill. What is repeatable is the selection of good stocks. By avoiding much of the market no...