Mooer's Stories | How Stock_Drift Navigates Irrational Markets
“Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”- John Maynard Keynes, economic theorist.
@Stock_Drift, a user on moomoo used this quote to describe 2024, a year where it is impossible to bet against the trends. Known away from the keyboard as Paul, Stock_Drift works for the municipality of Lansing, Michigan, and acts as a moomoo key opinion leader, posting news and advice to update community members across more than 2,800 followers.
"I run that Stock_Drift page, and I post watchlists and try to give everybody information to help them have the best trading day," Paul said. "I'm not trying to be an expert; I'm just trying to give people information."
Paul said he wants to help traders with information that can help them become better traders and help them make decisions on positions that might improve. Along the way, Paul said he learns what he can from the community.
He picked up stock trading about 10 years ago with longer-term investments -- what he described as buying 100 shares of something and leaving it there to grow. Paul said around the time GameStop blew up, it was right around the time he made a lifestyle change that gave him more money to invest: He quit smoking.
"I got my first little $100-$300 to [trade] because I quit smoking," Paul said. Soon after that, his favorite hobby was following stock moves.
He wanted to clarify, though; he didn't just see GameStop stock jump and start day trading. Somewhere on the road from long-term investing to swing trading, before Paul started using cash, he picked up moomoo and learned from users in the app and via paper trading.
"I would recommend it for anyone: take your time," Paul said. "I paper-traded for a year on another platform before I even spent the money on day trading. That's how I knew how to. I recommend paper trading before you spend a dime."
Paul was adamant about that aspect of his investing skills. He also attributed his investing know-how to a simple source: the book Day Trading for Dummies.
"I ran a dog rescue for 10 years, and that was the main book I stuck with. I put it in my ears and listened," Paul said. "You'll talk to better traders and people that have been doing it longer, and they'll say it too: Paper trading. Do it. Learn how to take your losses on paper, learn how to take gains. It's the best thing I could have done."
Paul said talking to traders on moomoo was also one of the best ways he learned about the market. He said it "was the best way to learn outside practice and reading. I think the most important thing is my peers."
"There are some really good traders I've learned some slick stuff from them," Paul said. He said he did not mean slick negatively but crafty and sharp.
Some days, Paul will find trading analysis encouraging him to pull the trigger on an investment in the morning. Sifting through the posts and sometimes negativity from moomoo's 20 million+ users can be a challenge, but Paul said his goal is not to get rich, but to spread positivity and make "maybe 20%" in the green.
"I love Stock_Drift. I love giving people information, and people generally care on moomoo," he said.
What does Stock_Drift think about the market today?
When asked about the market today, Paul pulled out the Keynesian quote off the top of his head: “Markets can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."
"Rule No. 1 is 'Don't fight the trend,'" he said. "It was, and it has been a bull market. We've been in a strong bull uptrend for months since last fall."
But that trend could always change. Paul pointed to the big rise in GameStop in May as an example.
$GameStop (GME.US)$ launched upward in May for the first time since 2021, after Roaring Kitty, the original poster that helped inspire the meme stock craze, came back to Twitter. The news helped push trader furvor into a frenzy that saw the price climb from $9/share to nearly $65/share, before falling back.
Paul said moments like that can happen at any time, even if the market seemed on a steady track. Since we talked, the news cycle has been insane, making it feel like June was a year ago. He predicted the market would be bullish until Labor Day.
In October, Paul has been watching and reporting breaking news on moomoo. He predicted the market to grow at a CAGR of 11.1% from 2024-2032 driven by the development of sustainable infrastructure.
"I also think the IT services sector is going through lots of change with AI, big data and machine learning being [the key] in growth," he said. "Driving it, if you will."
In closing, Paul has always loved sharing information. He embodies the Pete Hamill quote describing the spirit of news reporters, who are "chosen by the tribe to carry the torch to the back of the cave and tell the others what is there in the darkness."
"I love the news," Paul said. "I've always loved news. In high school, we'd come to government class, and the teacher would have us bring in current events to discuss, and my hand would be up. He would know I would have the news for him."
Paul still does -- and shares daily stock news for moomoo users to learn from. Follow him for more!
Mooers, have any questions for Paul? Ask Away in the comments below!
If you'd like to be the next person interviewed, please comment below, fill out the form, or send me a message. I’ll be giving a $50 cash reward to everyone who participates in the interview. Fill out this interview form!
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Moomoo News and Community Manager
Moo moo News and Community Manager, NJ Office.
Fmr CNBC contributor, reporter/investor/trader
Posts do not represent mm
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EZ_money : 50 dollars for that much personal information out about you
why don't you just post his social security number while you're at it 
Drift is one of the very few people I've always respected we go back to another platform our picks have a tendency to keep us bumping into each other. God bless his soul we need more Drifts in this world cuz I'm not one of them 
Kevin Travers OP EZ_money : Moomoo already has your account info, I just need to know who I'm interviewing to write a story- aren't you the one that was saying moomoo was censoring speech? I really want to hear your voice and story, I would love to interview you!
Kevin Travers OP EZ_money : Clicking on your profile I can see you are from the US, and get all the other information besides a name, and you are free to use a fake one! I just want to promote moomoo people : )
EZ_money Kevin Travers OP : yes, I'm not the only one they have done it to. some have quit comments entirely because they kept getting shadow banned. they might even have left entirely to a different app. it's obvious when you look at views and your comments could be based on factual information and not be offensive.... which myself have a tendency to be ....my style is different. i see through the
and come from cut throat corporate world . thanks for the reply and opportunity, but I'll pass on that interview 
Kevin Travers OP EZ_money : word, have a good day man! maybe people are just not reading those comments, I'll look into it
EZ_money Kevin Travers OP : no that's not it either. I'm talking difference could be 17K views and a comment in the same asset right after doesn't even get a hundred views..... that's a shadow ban . that's what Twitter did until Elon saved the day. Mark Zuckerberg admitted to doing the same thing. Google just doesn't give a crap and does it they were one of the first. they even reported people's personal information to the government if you watch certain videos.... you're on the list
Laine Ford : moomoo tell me hi to sell my stock I want to sell 13 stock at one time
Laine Ford : good read about this stock
Laine Ford : I like that stock very much here
70994532 : I was once asking moomoo customer service that how much they charge for trading 10000 share stock in Canada? They just didn't answer me the question.Just let me do some reading.![[undefined]](https://static.moomoo.com/nnq/emoji/static/image/default/default-black.png?imageMogr2/thumbnail/36x36 "undefined")
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