Momentum Investing

Momentum Investing

An investment philosophy in which the investor buys (or short sells) securities that had been performing well over the previous three to 12 months and sells those that have been performing poorly over the same period. This is a form of short-term investing based on the underlying belief that trends generally continue for a long period of time. This belief is at odds with efficient markets theory, because momentum investing assumes that even inefficiently priced securities tend to remain inefficiently priced. Economists therefore disagree on whether momentum investing is a sound investment strategy. See also: Market momentum.

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Momentum investing. A momentum investor focuses on stocks that are rising in value on increasing daily volume, and avoids stocks that are falling in price or that are perceived to be undervalued.

The logic is that when a pattern of growth has been established, it will continue to gain momentum and the growth will continue. Momentum investing is essentially the opposite of contrarian investing.