by Gary Alexander
November 8, 2022
There are five Tuesdays this November, so I intend to write five reasons for Thanksgiving. Last week, I covered the great historical market lift when November begins – namely, it’s the best time to buy stocks.
This time, I’ll try to counter the 90% saturation of bad news you hear. I’ll deliver some great news below, but it’s a tough sell, since bad news appeals more to our inner adrenaline addiction. I know, because I was a “bad news bear” in print for 25 years – from my first news bureau job in 1965 until I wised up in 1990.
According to at least three reliable sources, I invented the term “Apocaholic,” a word based on the Greek title for the gloomy Biblical Book of Revelation, “Apocalypse.” If it were in a dictionary, I would define an Apocaholic as “A person who craves ever more frightening disasters, like predictions of nuclear war, natural disasters, starvation, market crashes, ecological doom – akin to a drug addiction, needing a ‘fix.’”
In the early 1990s, when struggling with the temptation to write negative articles, I recalled the virtues of that other AA recovery program and invented a fellowship of former doomsday writers, calling the group “Apocaholics Anonymous.” I opened an investment talk (and a Unitarian Church lecture) like this:
“Hi, I’m Gary, I’m a recovering Apocaholic. I have not panicked over world news since 1990. Our group meets each Monday at 5pm during news hour. No TV, radio or Internet allowed. Bring your own drinks.”
That’s whimsical, of course, but my reversal in attitude was serious and life changing. Investing in growth stocks instead of penny stocks and gold-mining shares made my family well-off. Pessimism delivered a negative net worth to a 45-year-old father of three nearly-college-age children – not a healthy situation – but investing in hope and growth made all the difference. That is why I call these columns Growth Mail.
It took a while for the term “Apocaholic” to catch on. Matt Ridley credited me with the term in his 2010 book, The Rational Optimist (page 200). Here’s a sample of others who credited me with this new word:
Read “ a wonderful piece called ‘Apocaholics Anonymous’ by Gary Alexander. This is truly funny – and sage. Send it to friends.” — Rich Karlgaard, Forbes, “Apocaholics Anonymous,” June 14, 2007
“Apocaholics, a word coined by the writer Gary Alexander, i.e. those obsessed with perceived-coming apocalypses, are at least as old as Thomas R. Malthus and David Ricardo, and certainly much older.”
— Eric T. Justin, The Harvard Crimson, “Apocaholics Anonymous,” September 4, 2010
“Over the five decades since the success of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962 and the four decades since the success of the Club of Rome’s The Limits to Growth in 1972, prophecies of doom on a colossal scale have become routine. Indeed, we seem to crave ever-more-frightening predictions—we are now, in writer Gary Alexander’s word, apocaholic. The past half century has brought us warnings of population explosions, global famines, plagues, water wars, oil exhaustion, mineral shortages, falling sperm counts, thinning ozone, acidifying rain, nuclear winters, Y2K bugs, mad cow epidemics, killer bees, sex-change fish, cell-phone-induced brain-cancer epidemics, and climate catastrophes.”
— Matt Ridley, Reason Magazine, “The End of the World is Not Nigh,” August 20, 2012*
*If you wish to read these testimonials in context, here are the links:
Apocaholics Anonymous (forbes.com)
Apocaholics Anonymous | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson (thecrimson.com)
The End of the World Is Still Not Nigh Says “Rational Optimist” Matt Ridley (reason.com)
My timing seemed logical at the time – coming after the Berlin Wall fell, and books proclaiming, “The Crash of 1990” came to nothing – but as soon as I reformed, the rest of the world doubled down, in books like Bankruptcy 1995. As soon as the Berlin Wall fell, and Soviet satellite nations toppled like dominoes – the Apocaholic press invented several new forms of post-Soviet Union gloom and doom to worry about.
According to Wikipedia’s list of apocalyptic films, there were only a dozen end-of-world films made before 1960 – and the last one, On the Beach (1959), scared this teenager greatly – but the number of apocalyptic films grew by 60% or more per decade after the end of Communism in 1990:
All this was happening while almost everything in the world was getting measurably better. Hundreds of millions of Chinese and other East Asians were emerging from absolute poverty into the middle class and some wealth. The Green Revolution was creating plenty of food for almost every nation, excepting only those mired in doctrinaire Communism (like North Korea or Venezuela) or war (the Congo or Yemen),
In their new book “Superabundance: The Story of Population Growth, Innovation and Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet” (published August 31, 2022), authors Marian L. Tupy and Gale L. Pooley cite a wide array of apocalyptic claims. Then, they present us with some good news, like this:
I could list similar data sets almost endlessly. Caloric consumption is way up in almost every nation, even those which used to be the subject of “hunger relief campaigns” by Western charities. In fact, obesity has become a severe problem in several African nations that were once subjects of food relief programs.
As much as the press loves to focus on one or two active wars, such as Russia vs. Ukraine, the prevalence of global wars and the global homicide rate and total violent death rate are way down since 1950.
Since this is a stock market letter, let us also look at the last 70 years of U.S. stock market returns:
So, despite all the serious concerns of the last decade, including a global pandemic, the S&P 500 is up 174% since 2012, the second-best 10-year span of the last 70 years, as measured by the month just ended.
You can find all of the data you care to analyze in these three books – and many more like them:
So, despite all the serious concerns of the last decade, including a global pandemic, the S&P 500 is up 174% since 2012, the second-best 10-year span of the last 70 years, as measured by the month just ended.
You can find all of the data you care to analyze in these three books – and many more like them:
Read these and you can open up your own chapter of optimists under an Apocaholics Anonymous banner.
All content above represents the opinion of Gary Alexander of Navellier & Associates, Inc.
Also In This Issue
A Look Ahead by Louis Navellier
Four Big Events in a “November to Remember”
Income Mail by Bryan Perry
The Fed’s “Terminal Rate” May Be Coming Soon
Growth Mail by Gary Alexander
“The End of the World” is a Popular Theme – But Wrong
Global Mail by Ivan Martchev
The Fed’s Epic Bait and Switch
Sector Spotlight by Jason Bodner
Is Carefree Investing Possible in This “Age of Anxiety”?
View Full Archive
Read Past Issues Here
About The Author

Gary Alexander
SENIOR EDITOR
Gary Alexander has been Senior Writer at Navellier since 2009. He edits Navellier’s weekly Marketmail and writes a weekly Growth Mail column, in which he uses market history to support the case for growth stocks. For the previous 20 years before joining Navellier, he was Senior Executive Editor at InvestorPlace Media (formerly Phillips Publishing), where he worked with several leading investment analysts, including Louis Navellier (since 1997), helping launch Louis Navellier’s Blue Chip Growth and Global Growth newsletters.
Prior to that, Gary edited Wealth Magazine and Gold Newsletter and wrote various investment research reports for Jefferson Financial in New Orleans in the 1980s. He began his financial newsletter career with KCI Communications in 1980, where he served as consulting editor for Personal Finance newsletter while serving as general manager of KCI’s Alexandria House book division. Before that, he covered the economics beat for news magazines. All content of “Growth Mail” represents the opinion of Gary Alexander
Important Disclosures:
Although information in these reports has been obtained from and is based upon sources that Navellier believes to be reliable, Navellier does not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions and estimates constitute Navellier’s judgment as of the date the report was created and are subject to change without notice. These reports are for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation for the purchase or sale of a security. Any decision to purchase securities mentioned in these reports must take into account existing public information on such securities or any registered prospectus.To the extent permitted by law, neither Navellier & Associates, Inc., nor any of its affiliates, agents, or service providers assumes any liability or responsibility nor owes any duty of care for any consequences of any person acting or refraining to act in reliance on the information contained in this communication or for any decision based on it.
Past performance is no indication of future results. Investment in securities involves significant risk and has the potential for partial or complete loss of funds invested. It should not be assumed that any securities recommendations made by Navellier. in the future will be profitable or equal the performance of securities made in this report. Dividend payments are not guaranteed. The amount of a dividend payment, if any, can vary over time and issuers may reduce dividends paid on securities in the event of a recession or adverse event affecting a specific industry or issuer.
None of the stock information, data, and company information presented herein constitutes a recommendation by Navellier or a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. Any specific securities identified and described do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold, or recommended for advisory clients. The holdings identified do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold, or recommended for advisory clients and the reader should not assume that investments in the securities identified and discussed were or will be profitable.
Information presented is general information that does not take into account your individual circumstances, financial situation, or needs, nor does it present a personalized recommendation to you. Individual stocks presented may not be suitable for every investor. Investment in securities involves significant risk and has the potential for partial or complete loss of funds invested. Investment in fixed income securities has the potential for the investment return and principal value of an investment to fluctuate so that an investor’s holdings, when redeemed, may be worth less than their original cost.
One cannot invest directly in an index. Index is unmanaged and index performance does not reflect deduction of fees, expenses, or taxes. Presentation of Index data does not reflect a belief by Navellier that any stock index constitutes an investment alternative to any Navellier equity strategy or is necessarily comparable to such strategies. Among the most important differences between the Indices and Navellier strategies are that the Navellier equity strategies may (1) incur material management fees, (2) concentrate its investments in relatively few stocks, industries, or sectors, (3) have significantly greater trading activity and related costs, and (4) be significantly more or less volatile than the Indices.
ETF Risk: We may invest in exchange traded funds (“ETFs”) and some of our investment strategies are generally fully invested in ETFs. Like traditional mutual funds, ETFs charge asset-based fees, but they generally do not charge initial sales charges or redemption fees and investors typically pay only customary brokerage fees to buy and sell ETF shares. The fees and costs charged by ETFs held in client accounts will not be deducted from the compensation the client pays Navellier. ETF prices can fluctuate up or down, and a client account could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. ETFs are subject to additional risks:
- ETF shares may trade above or below their net asset value;
- An active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained;
- The value of an ETF may be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track;
- The cost of owning shares of the ETF may exceed those a client would incur by directly investing in the underlying securities; and
- Trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem it appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, or the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally.
Grader Disclosures: Investment in equity strategies involves substantial risk and has the potential for partial or complete loss of funds invested. The sample portfolio and any accompanying charts are for informational purposes only and are not to be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument and should not be relied upon as the sole factor in an investment making decision. As a matter of normal and important disclosures to you, as a potential investor, please consider the following: The performance presented is not based on any actual securities trading, portfolio, or accounts, and the reported performance of the A, B, C, D, and F portfolios (collectively the “model portfolios”) should be considered mere “paper” or pro forma performance results based on Navellier’s research.
Investors evaluating any of Navellier & Associates, Inc.’s, (or its affiliates’) Investment Products must not use any information presented here, including the performance figures of the model portfolios, in their evaluation of any Navellier Investment Products. Navellier Investment Products include the firm’s mutual funds and managed accounts. The model portfolios, charts, and other information presented do not represent actual funded trades and are not actual funded portfolios. There are material differences between Navellier Investment Products’ portfolios and the model portfolios, research, and performance figures presented here. The model portfolios and the research results (1) may contain stocks or ETFs that are illiquid and difficult to trade; (2) may contain stock or ETF holdings materially different from actual funded Navellier Investment Product portfolios; (3) include the reinvestment of all dividends and other earnings, estimated trading costs, commissions, or management fees; and, (4) may not reflect prices obtained in an actual funded Navellier Investment Product portfolio. For these and other reasons, the reported performances of model portfolios do not reflect the performance results of Navellier’s actually funded and traded Investment Products. In most cases, Navellier’s Investment Products have materially lower performance results than the performances of the model portfolios presented.
This report contains statements that are, or may be considered to be, forward-looking statements. All statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs or expectations, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “expect,” “estimate,” “plan,” “intend,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “continue,” “project,” or similar statements or variations of such terms. Our forward-looking statements are based on a series of expectations, assumptions, and projections, are not guarantees of future results or performance, and involve substantial risks and uncertainty as described in Form ADV Part 2A of our filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is available at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov or by requesting a copy by emailing info@navellier.com. All of our forward-looking statements are as of the date of this report only. We can give no assurance that such expectations or forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Actual results may differ materially. You are urged to carefully consider all such factors.
FEDERAL TAX ADVICE DISCLAIMER: As required by U.S. Treasury Regulations, you are informed that, to the extent this presentation includes any federal tax advice, the presentation is not written by Navellier to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding federal tax penalties. Navellier does not advise on any income tax requirements or issues. Use of any information presented by Navellier is for general information only and does not represent tax advice either express or implied. You are encouraged to seek professional tax advice for income tax questions and assistance.
IMPORTANT NEWSLETTER DISCLOSURE:The hypothetical performance results for investment newsletters that are authored or edited by Louis Navellier, including Louis Navellier’s Growth Investor, Louis Navellier’s Breakthrough Stocks, Louis Navellier’s Accelerated Profits, and Louis Navellier’s Platinum Club, are not based on any actual securities trading, portfolio, or accounts, and the newsletters’ reported hypothetical performances should be considered mere “paper” or proforma hypothetical performance results and are not actual performance of real world trades. Navellier & Associates, Inc. does not have any relation to or affiliation with the owner of these newsletters. There are material differences between Navellier Investment Products’ portfolios and the InvestorPlace Media, LLC newsletter portfolios authored by Louis Navellier. The InvestorPlace Media, LLC newsletters contain hypothetical performance that do not include transaction costs, advisory fees, or other fees a client might incur if actual investments and trades were being made by an investor. As a result, newsletter performance should not be used to evaluate Navellier Investment services which are separate and different from the newsletters. The owner of the newsletters is InvestorPlace Media, LLC and any questions concerning the newsletters, including any newsletter advertising or hypothetical Newsletter performance claims, (which are calculated solely by Investor Place Media and not Navellier) should be referred to InvestorPlace Media, LLC at (800) 718-8289.
Please note that Navellier & Associates and the Navellier Private Client Group are managed completely independent of the newsletters owned and published by InvestorPlace Media, LLC and written and edited by Louis Navellier, and investment performance of the newsletters should in no way be considered indicative of potential future investment performance for any Navellier & Associates separately managed account portfolio. Potential investors should consult with their financial advisor before investing in any Navellier Investment Product.
Navellier claims compliance with Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS). To receive a complete list and descriptions of Navellier’s composites and/or a presentation that adheres to the GIPS standards, please contact Navellier or click here. It should not be assumed that any securities recommendations made by Navellier & Associates, Inc. in the future will be profitable or equal the performance of securities made in this report.
FactSet Disclosure: Navellier does not independently calculate the statistical information included in the attached report. The calculation and the information are provided by FactSet, a company not related to Navellier. Although information contained in the report has been obtained from FactSet and is based on sources Navellier believes to be reliable, Navellier does not guarantee its accuracy, and it may be incomplete or condensed. The report and the related FactSet sourced information are provided on an “as is” basis. The user assumes the entire risk of any use made of this information. Investors should consider the report as only a single factor in making their investment decision. The report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of a security. FactSet sourced information is the exclusive property of FactSet. Without prior written permission of FactSet, this information may not be reproduced, disseminated or used to create any financial products. All indices are unmanaged and performance of the indices include reinvestment of dividends and interest income, unless otherwise noted, are not illustrative of any particular investment and an investment cannot be made in any index. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.