📖Peter Lynch

Better Opportunity

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Holding a mediocre stock just because you own it is a waste of time and capital.

💬

Sell if you find something better.

— *One Up On Wall Street*，1989

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Just like renting an apartment—if you find a better one at the same price (with a superior location, newer renovations, or better amenities), you would decisively move. The same principle applies to investing: with limited capital, every dollar should be directed toward the most promising opportunities.

📖 Core Interpretation

Existing holdings can be sold when better investment opportunities are identified.
💎 Key Insight：Lynch constantly compares his current holdings to new opportunities. If a stock you own has a weaker story than one you could buy, the rational move is to switch. Loyalty to a stock is an emotional bias, not a strategy. Every dollar in your portfolio should be working as hard as possible. Periodically ask: if I did not own this stock today, would I buy it? If not, sell.

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❓ Why It Matters

With limited capital, it should be allocated to areas with the greatest potential.

🎯 How to Practice

Compare the expected returns and risks of new opportunities against existing holdings.

🎙️ Master's Voice

When you sell in desperation, you always sell cheap.
Lynch observed that desperate selling always happened at the worst prices. Those forced to sell in panic locked in losses that patient holders avoided.

⚔️ Practical Guide

✅ Decision Checklist

  • Am I selling in desperation?
  • Am I being forced to sell?
  • Can I wait for better prices?

📋 Action Steps

  1. Never sell in panic
  2. Maintain financial flexibility
  3. Be patient with selling

🚨 Warning Signs

  • Desperate selling
  • Forced liquidation
  • Panic decisions

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

✕Avoid frequent stock switching.
✕Ensure that the new opportunity is genuinely superior.
✕Consider transaction costs and taxes.

📚 Case Studies

1
Taco Bell Acquisition by PepsiCo (1977)
Lynch saw strong same-store sales and rapid franchise growth, yet Wall Street ignored the small-cap restaurant stock.
✨ Outcome：Fidelity Magellan bought shares before PepsiCo’s acquisition, earning large gains as the market recognized the growth potential.
2
Fannie Mae Turnaround (1982)
After deregulation and prior losses, Fannie Mae looked troubled, but Lynch studied the balance sheet and new profit drivers.
✨ Outcome：He invested heavily; as earnings surged through the 1980s, the stock multiplied many times, validating his ‘better opportunity’ thesis.

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