What Drives the Stock Market? The Psychological Factors

A red graph showing what drives the stock market

Are you looking to invest in the stock market? What drives the stock market? According to Howard Marks, the securities market cycle fluctuates per shifts in investor psychology that depend upon underlying foundational cycles. He argues that positive investor psychology drives bubbles in which securities become wildly overpriced, leading to crashes in which they become underpriced. Below we’ll look at what makes prices go up or down in the market.

Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Caroline Leaf: Overview

A woman reading a book in a therapist's office

What’s Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Caroline Leaf about? Do you need a mental detox? In Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, Caroline Leaf discusses mental toxicity, its sources, and its effects on the brain. She explains her solution to mental toxicity, neurocycling, and how you can practice it. Read below for an overview of the book Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess.

What Is the Securities Market? How to Exploit Its Cycles

A colorful stock graph, showing the securities market

What is the securities market? Why can you exploit the securities market so easily? In Mastering the Market Cycle, Howard Marks outlines how cycles jointly drive the overall securities market. In particular, he shows how the predictable nature of foundational and psychological cycles makes for an exploitable securities market cycle.  Take a look at the factors driving the securities market cycle so you can reap large rewards from it.

The 3 Impactful Types of Business Cycles in Economics

A businessman pointing to a dollar sign on a whiteboard, talking about the types of business cycles in economics

What are the different types of business cycles in economics? How do these cycles influence a business’s success? Howard Marks claims that three foundational cycles impact business prosperity (and consequently the value of securities): These are the economic cycle, the profit cycle, and the credit cycle. Let’s examine these three cycles to illustrate their underlying causes and their impact on securities.  

What Causes Bad Thoughts? The Sources of Mental Toxicity

A woman with pink colors coming out of her head, showing what causes bad thoughts

What causes some people to suffer from mental toxicity? How does one unhealthy thought lead to a toxic mind? Caroline Leaf says mental toxicity occurs when you’re prone to unhealthy thinking patterns. To help people avoid mental toxicity, she outlines what causes bad thoughts and people who are prone to them. Let’s explore two sources of unhealthy thinking and discuss how a single unhealthy thought can lead to mental toxicity.

The Effects of Negative Thinking on Your Mind and Body

A woman holding her head in pain as one of the effects of negative thinking

How do unhealthy thoughts change your physical health? How does mental toxicity cause bad decision-making? Caroline Leaf says that when toxic energy accumulates in your mind and brain, it has negative mental and physical effects. These effects can take a toll on your life if not managed in a healthy manner. Let’s explore a few of the effects of negative thinking.

Mental Toxicity: How Unhealthy Thoughts Infect the Brain

A brain with a poison symbol on it, representing mental toxicity

What’s mental toxicity? What happens when your brain is coherent or incoherent? Dr. Caroline Leaf says that the type of unhealthy thinking that leads to mental illness is called mental toxicity. She also warns that this can be a dangerous state of mind to live in, especially for those who have been through serious trauma or grief. Continue reading to learn how mental toxicity takes control of your brain.

How to Beat the Market: 2 Steps Toward Above-Market Returns

A woman who knows how to beat the market, looking at a computer screen of stocks

How can you assess market position to earn more money? Is it possible to beat the market? As an investor, you can tilt the deck in your favor by taking the market’s tendencies into account when positioning your portfolio. Howard Marks illustrates how to do so via two steps: Correctly assess the market’s position in the cycle, and adjust your portfolio accordingly. Here’s how to beat the market in only two steps.

How Does Negative Thinking Affect Your Health? The 4 Ways

A sick man experiencing how negative thinking affects your health, holding his head on the couch

How does negative thinking affect your health? Do unhealthy thoughts make you more vulnerable to illnesses? Unhealthy thoughts become larger and more powerful when you fail to process them because you continue to pour metaphysical energy into them. When they become too powerful to handle, they can leave negative effects on your body. Discover how negative thinking takes a toll on physical health, according to Dr. Caroline Leaf.