When we moved into our new office, we made a rookie mistake.
We needed to make our new office on Miller Street feel like home, so we enlisted chat GPT, spoke to people with experience and set a budget for a bunch of new office plants. Convinced that we had suddenly acquired green thumbs, we snatched a pair of trolleys and entered the greenhouse. A plump, bright green succulent caught our eye. Enamoured, we named him on the spot.
Blobby Fischer.
We plonked him in the middle of the boardroom table. Alongside Blobby, we picked out a lush-looking palm for the corner, a couple of fiddle leaf figs by the door and a whole host of others for the rest of the office.
Within two weeks, our beautiful Blobby had deteriorated into a pot of mush. The once bright palm in the corner was laced in a web of spider mites and the figs? Two sticks in a pot.
Turns out, Blob and his mates had invited in an army of bugs and no amount of love (or Eco-Neem Botanical Insecticide) could save him. RIP. To his right, the palm survived the battle and the figs… well, they’re still up for debate.
Meanwhile, in the background, a scrappy little Monstera we barely noticed is now the star of the office. The ZZ plants haven’t moved an inch, and the Rhipsalis are maniacally sprouting new growth.
Somewhere between scrubbing leaves and comparing potting mixes, I realised that investing is often the same. The stocks that look the most exciting, the ones everyone’s talking about, like Appen (ASX:APX) aren’t always the ones that thrive. Those that are already showing real strength and are proven in their environment are often the long-term winners. Think Regis Healthcare (ASX:REG) or Generation Development Group (ASX:GDG).
We’re seeing that play out in markets right now. After a rough patch for the market, and its recent recovery, we can clearly observe that not everything bounces back equally. Over the past three months, some corners have yet to regain their footing (Finance, Tech & Minerals) and others (Retail Trade, Transportation & Communications) are still steadily showing resilience.
That’s exactly why we follow a rules-based process when we invest. It’s like checking the light, soil, and conditions before choosing plants. Our system highlights sectors where the environment is right and when momentum is strong. We don’t guess what might look best and cross our fingers. We let the data and the conditions tell us where to focus.
If you’re wondering what that might look like in a portfolio, or if some of your own “Blobby” investments have turned to mush, get in touch.