1/ There are a ton of books about Financial & Fundamental Analysis, Scuttlebutt and Technical Analysis. But there aren't many books 'taking risk'.

Among the few that exist, 'Zurich Axioms', written in 1985, is the best. Here are my key takeaways from the book.

2/ A bit about Max Gunther's (The Author) background. He was an Anglo-American journalist and writer, who wrote 26 Books.

His father, Franz Heinrich, was the New York Head of Schweizerischer Bankverein, which later merged into the famous Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS).
3/ The 'Zurich Axioms' were a set of unwritten rules followed by a informal group of Swiss Bankers and Traders who used to socialize around Wall Street after World War II. Mr. Heinrich was one of the founding members.

Max Gunter formalied these 'Axioms' by writing about them.
4/ There are 12 'Major Axioms' and 16 'Minor Axioms' (Corollary to the Major Axioms) in the book.

But remember, this is MY key takeaways from the book and not an exact summary. So you might find quotes, phrases and links inserted here and there by me (Not from the Author).
5/ Axiom #1: In order to earn returns, you must take risk. Risk will make you worry.

Risk-taking and worrying go hand-in-hand. If you're not worried about an investment, you're not taking risk.

Spend half your energy towards earning an income and the rest towards speculation.
6/ “Every occupation has its aches and pains. If you keep bees, you get stung. Me, I get worried. It’s either that or stay poor. If I’ve got a choice between worried and poor, I’ll take worried anytime.”

— Jesse Livermore.
7/ Minor Axiom #1: Bet meaningful stakes.

Bet big, but not so big that one unlucky turn can wipe you out. Also, betting too little would lead to mediocre returns.

Bet enough to make you worry about a loss, but in an opportunity whose potential gain would make you very happy.
8/ This thread written by me on 'Kelley Criterion' and Capital Allocation might be a useful reference point for Minor Axiom #1.

Alright, back to it.

https://t.co/vzUSnjYgdr
9/ Minor Axiom 2: Resist the allure of Diversification.

Putting your eggs in different baskets is fine. But it's not ideal if you have too many baskets to watch over. Diversification can reduce risk to an extent. But taken to an extreme, it can also reduce potential returns.
10/ "Diversification may preserve wealth, but concentration builds wealth."

— Warren Buffett.
11/ Major Axiom #2: Take profits sooner rather than later.

Greed will always make you 'wait for more' even if you've achieved considerable returns. Always take your profits once you have acheived your target returns or made considerable amount of money.

Don't press your luck.
12/ Minor Axiom #3: Determine what you want before entring a trade.

Answer important questions like 'What do I want from this trade?', 'How much is enough?' and 'When will I sell?' before, not after entering a trade.

This makes exiting the trade so much easier.
13/ Major Axiom #3: When the ship starts to sink, don't pray. Jump.

Things go wrong eventually and many times over. Be willing to take a loss. The fear of regret, pain and the shame of admitting you're wrong will prevent you from doing this. Overcome them as quickly as possible.
14/ Minor Axiom #4: Accept small losses.

Whether it's holding through a temporary loss on a gainful journey or exiting a bad trade permanently, learn to take the sting of a small loss. Expect them several times in your journey.

Small losses are the cost of big gains.
15/ Major Axiom #4: Distrust forecasts.

Human behaviour cannot be forecasted. Distrust anyone or anything claiming to do the same.

“It’s easy to a prophet. You make 25 predictions and the ones that come true are the ones you talk about.”

— Theodore Levitt (Economist).
16/ Major Axiom #5: Don't look for formulas to get rich.

'Get rich quick' or 'get rich easy' formulas don't exist and if they do, don't work. Luck plays a bigger role in our lives than any of us would admit. So ignore all ready-made investment formulas.
17/ Minor Axioms #5: History doesn't repeat exactly the way we expect it to be. Don't believe in conclusions rooted solely on some historical event.

Minor Axiom #6: Future price movements cannot be predicted using past price movements (Might not be the favorite Axiom for many).
18/ Minor Axiom #7: Correlation is not causation. Our minds try to find patterns where none exist. Be cautious.

Minor Axiom #8: Beware the Gambler's Fallacy. Winning streaks or strokes of luck run out. The world isn't out to make you rich magically.
19/ Major Axiom #6: Don't fall in love with a speculative idea.

Minor Axiom #9 and #10 also go on to say: Don't latch on to an investment idea emotionally (Loyalty or nostalgia). Be willing to drop an investment idea in a heartbeat when a better one comes along.
20/ Major Axiom #7: A hunch can be trusted if it can be explained.

A hunch is something you know, but you don't know how or why you know it. So dig deeper and find out. If there is substance, you can go ahead with it.

But Minor Axiom #11 warns, don't confuse a hunch with hope.
21/ Major Axiom #8: God isn't out to make you rich.

God isn't out to make you rich, neither is a supernatural evil bent on making you poor.

Minor Axiom #12 and #13 dismiss Astrology and Superstitions. The major point is that you shouldn't take financial decisions based on them.
22/ Major Axiom #9: Differentiate between Optimism and Confidence.

Optimism means you expect the best to happen. Confidence means you're prepared to handle the worst. Know the difference.

Sucessful betting is all about being 'confident' and not merely 'optimistic'.
23/ Major Axiom #10: The popular opinion is wrong.

Disregard the opinions of experts, gurus, brokers, bankers and forecasters. In order to know something, you must analyze and understand it yourself.

As the Russian proverb goes, 'Doveryai, no proveryai' (Trust, but verify).
24/ "Nullius in verba." (Take nobody's word for it).

— The Royal Society's Motto.

This is one of my favorite quotes and it's also on my Twitter profile description. Very fitting when it comes to the world of investing.
25/ Minor Axiom #14: Stay clear of fads. The best thing to buy is something nobody wants.

This shoud have been a Major Axiom. The best time to buy something is when it's unpopular and vice versa while selling.

Basically 'buy low, sell high', but it's challenging to do it right.
26/ Major Axiom #11: If a bet doesn't pay off, let it go.

"If at first you don't succeed, try again" might be a good idiom for life, but not so much when it comes to investing.

Minor Axiom #15: Never average down on a trade you're convinced is bad. Cut it short.
27/ Major Axiom #12: Plan, but not too far out into the future.

Long term plans have the drawback of ignoring the role of unexpected events on your outcomes. Make sure your process is right and you're ready to take decisions on time, but never settle on a single plan for life.
28/ Minor Axiom #16: Shun 'buy and hold' investing.

This Axiom warns against 'buy and hold' type of investments. The future it unexpected. So expect things to go wrong often. Be ready to react quickly when they do.

Don't assume investing for the long term takes out all risks.
29/ That's the thread.

If you liked this, then you will definitely like the original book. Find it, buy it, read it.

I also loved this look-back on the Book by Philip Ryland for the Investors' Chronicle in 2014. Perhaps you will too.

https://t.co/oAINAZTdoB

More from Dinesh Sairam

More from Books

40 Investing Books Recommendations from 20 Legendary Investors

Including Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Joel Greenblatt, Mohnish Pabrai, Guy Spier, Li Lu.......

Worth More than $100 Billion!


1. Warren Buffett

The Most Important Thing -
https://t.co/9noBa9TIYk

The Outsider -

2. Charlie Munger

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - https://t.co/UnBFJ90J9o

The Warren Buffett Portfolio -

3. Mohnish Pabrai

100 Baggers - https://t.co/CrIt3kJlaF

A Gift to My Children: A Father’s Lessons for Life and Investing -

4. Chris Mayer

The Little Book That Beats the Market. - https://t.co/7NEKHgNCSD

100 to 1 in the Stock Market by Thomas Phelps -

You May Also Like

कुंडली में 12 भाव होते हैं। कैसे ज्योतिष द्वारा रोग के आंकलन करते समय कुंडली के विभिन्न भावों से गणना करते हैं आज इस पर चर्चा करेंगे।
कुण्डली को कालपुरुष की संज्ञा देकर इसमें शरीर के अंगों को स्थापित कर उनसे रोग, रोगेश, रोग को बढ़ाने घटाने वाले ग्रह


रोग की स्थिति में उत्प्रेरक का कार्य करने वाले ग्रह, आयुर्वेदिक/ऐलोपैथी/होमियोपैथी में से कौन कारगर होगा इसका आँकलन, रक्त विकार, रक्त और आपरेशन की स्थिति, कौन सा आंतरिक या बाहरी अंग प्रभावित होगा इत्यादि गणना करने में कुंडली का प्रयोग किया जाता है।


मेडिकल ज्योतिष में आज के समय में Dr. K. S. Charak का नाम निर्विवाद रूप से प्रथम स्थान रखता है। उनकी लिखी कई पुस्तकें आज इस क्षेत्र में नए ज्योतिषों का मार्गदर्शन कर रही हैं।
प्रथम भाव -
इस भाव से हम व्यक्ति की रोगप्रतिरोधक क्षमता, सिर, मष्तिस्क का विचार करते हैं।


द्वितीय भाव-
दाहिना नेत्र, मुख, वाणी, नाक, गर्दन व गले के ऊपरी भाग का विचार होता है।
तृतीय भाव-
अस्थि, गला,कान, हाथ, कंधे व छाती के आंतरिक अंगों का शुरुआती भाग इत्यादि।

चतुर्थ भाव- छाती व इसके आंतरिक अंग, जातक की मानसिक स्थिति/प्रकृति, स्तन आदि की गणना की जाती है


पंचम भाव-
जातक की बुद्धि व उसकी तीव्रता,पीठ, पसलियां,पेट, हृदय की स्थिति आंकलन में प्रयोग होता है।

षष्ठ भाव-
रोग भाव कहा जाता है। कुंडली मे इसके तत्कालिक भाव स्वामी, कालपुरुष कुंडली के स्वामी, दृष्टि संबंध, रोगेश की स्थिति, रोगेश के नक्षत्र औऱ रोगेश व भाव की डिग्री इत्यादि।
🌺श्री गरुड़ पुराण - संक्षिप्त वर्णन🌺

हिन्दु धर्म के 18 पुराणों में से एक गरुड़ पुराण का हिन्दु धर्म में बड़ा महत्व है। गरुड़ पुराण में मृत्यु के बाद सद्गती की व्याख्या मिलती है। इस पुराण के अधिष्ठातृ देव भगवान विष्णु हैं, इसलिए ये वैष्णव पुराण है।


गरुड़ पुराण के अनुसार हमारे कर्मों का फल हमें हमारे जीवन-काल में तो मिलता ही है परंतु मृत्यु के बाद भी अच्छे बुरे कार्यों का उनके अनुसार फल मिलता है। इस कारण इस पुराण में निहित ज्ञान को प्राप्त करने के लिए घर के किसी सदस्य की मृत्यु के बाद का समय निर्धारित किया गया है...

..ताकि उस समय हम जीवन-मरण से जुड़े सभी सत्य जान सकें और मृत्यु के कारण बिछडने वाले सदस्य का दुख कम हो सके।
गरुड़ पुराण में विष्णु की भक्ति व अवतारों का विस्तार से उसी प्रकार वर्णन मिलता है जिस प्रकार भगवत पुराण में।आरम्भ में मनु से सृष्टि की उत्पत्ति,ध्रुव चरित्र की कथा मिलती है।


तदुपरांत सुर्य व चंद्र ग्रहों के मंत्र, शिव-पार्वती मंत्र,इन्द्र सम्बंधित मंत्र,सरस्वती मंत्र और नौ शक्तियों के बारे में विस्तार से बताया गया है।
इस पुराण में उन्नीस हज़ार श्लोक बताए जाते हैं और इसे दो भागों में कहा जाता है।
प्रथम भाग में विष्णुभक्ति और पूजा विधियों का उल्लेख है।

मृत्यु के उपरांत गरुड़ पुराण के श्रवण का प्रावधान है ।
पुराण के द्वितीय भाग में 'प्रेतकल्प' का विस्तार से वर्णन और नरकों में जीव के पड़ने का वृत्तांत मिलता है। मरने के बाद मनुष्य की क्या गति होती है, उसका किस प्रकार की योनियों में जन्म होता है, प्रेत योनि से मुक्ति के उपाय...
Fake chats claiming to be from the Irish African community are being disseminated by the far right in order to suggest that violence is imminent from #BLM supporters. This is straight out of the QAnon and Proud Boys playbook. Spread the word. Protest safely. #georgenkencho


There is co-ordination across the far right in Ireland now to stir both left and right in the hopes of creating a race war. Think critically! Fascists see the tragic killing of #georgenkencho, the grief of his community and pending investigation as a flashpoint for action.


Across Telegram, Twitter and Facebook disinformation is being peddled on the back of these tragic events. From false photographs to the tactics ofwhite supremacy, the far right is clumsily trying to drive hate against minority groups and figureheads.


Declan Ganley’s Burkean group and the incel wing of National Party (Gearóid Murphy, Mick O’Keeffe & Co.) as well as all the usuals are concerted in their efforts to demonstrate their white supremacist cred. The quiet parts are today being said out loud.


The best thing you can do is challenge disinformation and report posts where engagement isn’t appropriate. Many of these are blatantly racist posts designed to drive recruitment to NP and other Nationalist groups. By all means protest but stay safe.