Backing unloved sin stocks beats shootin’ and pollutin’ – The Wall Street Journal
Who in their right mind would get a kick out of shooting at others or polluting our skies with coal burning power stations? Perhaps someone who fits into one of the categories on the list of mental disorders, (DSM 5). Not that there's any shortage of such people in political leadership. In this analysis of specific stocks by the Wall Street Journal, it emerges that 'feel-good' items, even those that threaten one's health, outperform products that can cause instant death (guns) or threaten the survival of humankind as a species (coal). The negative-risk-narrative of guns and coal makes them a less-safe hedge bet than alcohol and tobacco which have been the best performers in both the USA and the UK since the early 20th century. Herein lies the paradox. The former deadly duo is probably undervalued with wild swings as markets are impacted by technology and politics. So, if you're a smart, down and dirty, shootin' cowboy, unbothered by moral ponderings, you can make a lot of money. While the rest of us take our simpler pleasures, smoking and drinking – or doing neither but trading in these addiction-forming habits. Could voting politicians out be easier than kicking a habit? – Chris Bateman