Chapter 8 of Benjamin Graham’s book “The Intelligent Investor” is titled “The Investor and Market Fluctuations”. In this chapter, Graham discusses how an investor can handle market fluctuations in a way that limits their emotional exposure while positioning them for long-term gains. He mentions that swings in the market may be as high as 50% increases from an issue’s lowest price and 33% decreases of the issue’s highest price. Graham advises investors to be comfortable with the fact that the market will swing over the course of time and to capitalize on these fluctuations. He suggests two ways to do so: timing and pricing. The first involves anticipating the action of the stock market and buying or holding when the future seems promising, and selling or refraining from buying when the future looks bleak. However, Graham warns that by trying to time the market, the investor is very likely to become a speculator, therefore reaping the results of a speculator as well. The second way is to take advantage of buying after each major decline, and selling after each major advance. Graham reminds us that even if one trend seems to be a “new-wave” of the market, it is likely to end.
In summary, Chapter 8 of “The Intelligent Investor” provides insights into how an investor can handle market fluctuations in a way that limits their emotional exposure while positioning them for long-term gains.