10 types to avoid on social media
Navigating the stock market is hard enough without being distracted by the wrong people. Financial Twitter (or other social platforms) is teeming with opinions, “experts” and market gurus who want to guide you – or rather, lead you astray.
If you want to stick to systematic strategies and avoid noise, here are the ten types you should watch out for:
1. “The Market Prophet”
This is the person who constantly makes big statements:
- “Now comes the crash”
- “The stock market is facing a blow-off peak”
The problem? They lack a strategy and often have a hit rate that is worse than chance. The market is unpredictable in the short term, and following these prophets risks making you act on pure speculation. Someone who is “right” five times and “wrong” once can quickly become ruined if they lack risk management.
Avoid because: Don't fall into the trap of timing the market based on other people's opinions.
2. The “Everything is a Bubble” Guru
This type sees a bubble in everything – from tech stocks to oatmeal. They are always right… until they are wrong. Sure, markets can be overvalued, but if you just wait for the perfect buy signal, you could be missing out on years of returns.
Avoid because: Don't get caught up in constant negativity and miss out on good trends.
3. “The Trader Who Never Loses”
Here we have the eternal winner – or at least according to their tweets. They only show off their successes and never mention the losses. But let’s be honest: all strategies have weak periods. If someone never talks about their mistakes, you can be sure that they are not transparent.
Avoid because: Don't fall for the illusion of perfect strategies and unrealistic expectations.
4. “The trader who only sees technical formations”
This is the person who relies entirely on subjective technical formations and trend lines on charts and is a believer in methods that worked better in the past:
- “The stock is going to fall because of a head/shoulders”
- “The triangle indicates an explosion!”
The problem? Many of these patterns are not quantifiable and are based on interpretation rather than objective signals. With today's low market autocorrelation, many of these classic patterns perform significantly worse than they used to. While technical analysis can be part of a strategy, it should be based on data, not guesswork.
Avoid because: Stay away from subjectivity and focus on proven, systematic methods.
5. “The macro guru with no connection to the stock market”
This type loves to talk about central bank decisions, inflation trends, and unemployment – all in great detail. Sure, macroeconomic factors can affect the stock market, but many of their “macro calls” have little or no practical connection to your portfolio or strategy. Knowing how many basis points a rate hike will land at won’t make you rich if you don’t have a concrete plan to act on that information.
Avoid because: Don't get caught up in irrelevant macro noise that doesn't lead to concrete investments.
6. “The Cheerleader Investor”
This is the person who has bet everything on one or a few companies and then dedicates themselves to defending them as if their life depended on it. They write incessantly about the company’s “potential” and ignore all the risks. In reality, this is not investing – it is pure gambling. Betting everything on one card means you are exposing yourself to enormous risks, and if it goes wrong, it can be devastating.
Avoid because: Don't get caught up in emotional decision-making or unbalanced exposure that puts your entire portfolio at risk.
7. “The quantifier that only shows overoptimized strategies”
Here is the person who boasts dazzling backtests where the curves always point straight up. But what they don’t tell you is that the strategies are often over-optimized to fit historical data – something that rarely holds up in reality. Anyone can create a model that works perfectly on old data, but that won’t help your future returns.
Avoid because: Don't be fooled by backtests that look good but lack robustness and practical application.
8. “The Opinion Machine”
This person has an opinion on every stock, every market, and every geopolitical event. The problem? Opinions are not a strategy. Making money in the stock market requires a clear plan, not someone throwing opinions out like darts.
Avoid because: Stay focused on objective signals instead of subjective speculation.
9. “The Clickbait King”
Headlines like:
- “This stock will increase 10-fold!”
- “Sell everything now before it's too late!”
These accounts are out for attention, not to help you. They exaggerate and often spread FOMO or panic.
Avoid because: Don't be influenced by dramatic headlines that make you act impulsively.
10. “The Eternal Crypto Missionary”
This type of person tries to convince you that anything other than crypto is pointless. They make statements like:
- “Bitcoin to $1 million before 2026!”
- “All stocks are worthless – buy ETH!”
Sure, crypto can be part of a diversified portfolio, but listening to someone who sees it as the only solution is risky. Their arguments are often based on emotion, and they completely ignore fundamental risks, volatility, and the need for diversification.
Avoid because: Don't risk becoming over-exposed to a single asset class with extreme uncertainty.
What to do instead
To succeed in the stock market, you need a plan that is based on a working method, risk management, discipline and patience. Here are some tips:
- Follow people with a process – not those who make “calls”.
- Avoid noise – focus on your strategy and ignore the news feed.
- Stay objective. – trust rules and signals, not opinions.
- Diversify – both in strategies and asset types.
Succeeding in the stock market isn’t about finding the next big stock or predicting market movements. It’s about minimizing mistakes and letting your strategy do the work. Look for a process, not for stock tips! To quote one of our favorite principles: “The most important thing is not to be right, but to stay in the game.”
