Two weeks ago, as the Singapore stock market fell for seven days in a row, I got increasingly excited. Over in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index (INDEXHANGSENG: ^HSI) had also declined for seven days in a row, its longest losing streak since November 2021. The fall was good news to me as I was looking to increase my stake in some of the stocks within my personal portfolio. When I told  my friend that I was wishing for the market to fall further, she looked at me as if I had grown a second head. My friend was anything but pleased to hear that the market had consistently fallen for seven straight sessions. I instantly felt bad that I was feeling gleeful while she was feeling hurt over her shrinking portfolio size.

To be a contrarian

But truth be told, being contrarian in this respect should not make me embarrassed. (Instead, I...