Let’s face it, the stock market is about as unpredictable as a toddler on a sugar rush. The S&P 500 has a neighborly bias, where the big tech companies have an outrageous effect on stock market returns. They sneeze, we all catch a cold. When they’re up, we’re all up. When they’re down, we’re all down. It’s like being stuck on a rollercoaster that you can’t get off of.

But wait, what’s this? In 2021, something miraculous happened. The “dispersion” of the S&P 500 was at its highest level since 2009. That means that individual stocks were going rogue and doing their own thing. They weren’t playing follow the leader like the rest of us. Some stocks were outperforming the megacaps and the overall market. It’s like the stock version of “The Tortoise and the Hare”, where the little guys were winning the race.

So, if you just picked stocks at random last year, you should have done better than the overall index! Which is kind of hilarious when you think about it. The stock market is supposed to be this prestigious, highfalutin profession, and yet sometimes it’s just as effective as throwing a dart at a board blindfolded.

But hold your horses, cowboy, because 2022 has arrived and the stock market has a new face. The megacap stocks are back on top, and the little guys are struggling to keep up. It’s like they’ve flipped the script on us. Now, if you pick stocks randomly, you’re more likely to trail the overall stock market this year. It’s like the market has a mind of its own and is toying with us like a cat with a ball of yarn.

In conclusion, the stock market is a wild ride, and sometimes it feels like we’re living in an alternate universe. One year, the underdogs are winning, and the next, the big guys are back on top. It’s enough to make your head spin, but hey, that’s the beauty of the stock market. You never know what’s going to happen, and sometimes the little guys come out on top.

Serious News: nytimes