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The Market Pendulum: Understanding Mean Reversion

By John NicolaExecutive Chair and Chief Investment OfficerWilliam JohnDeputy Chief Investment Officer
April 16, 2026|41 min listen
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PlanningApril 16, 2026


Episode Summary

Markets can surge for years, but history shows momentum rarely lasts forever. How should investors respond?

Host William John sits down with John Nicola, Founder, Executive Chair, and Chief Investment Officer of Nicola Wealth, to explore mean reversion, the idea that over time highs come down and lows move up, and what it means for today’s investors. Drawing on decades of experience across public equities, private capital, real estate, infrastructure, and fixed income, John explains why asset classes often drift back toward long-term averages and what typically follows strong market performance.

You’ll hear:
• Why markets can overshoot in both directions after big moves
• How investor behavior can amplify market swings
• How diversified portfolios and disciplined rebalancing help manage risk
• Why patience, long-term thinking, and a balanced approach matter

If you want to understand market cycles and how portfolios are managed through ups and downs, this episode gives you a helpful perspective on why patience, diversification, and long-term thinking matter.

Watch the full presentation here: https://youtu.be/J7w8zkFzl38

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Disclaimer

This material contains the current opinions of the author, and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material is distributed for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal, accounting, tax or specific investment advice. Forecasts, estimates, and certain information contained herein are based upon proprietary research and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy, or investment product. All investments contain risk and may gain or lose value. Please speak to your Nicola Wealth advisor for advice based on your unique circumstances. This is not a sales solicitation. This investment is intended for tax residents of Canada who are accredited investors. Residency restrictions apply. Please read the relevant documentation for additional details and important disclosure information, including terms of redemption and limited liquidity. The Nicola Core Composite returns represent the total Canadian dollar returns of all fee paying portfolios with a Nicola Core mandate. The composite includes clients who are both fully discretionary and nondiscretionary. Historical net of fee composite performance returns are calculated using individual realized time-weighted client returns net of fees and is presented before tax. The Nicola Wealth inclusion policy is based on clients’ weights at calendar month end. The composite returns are asset-weighted based upon ending monthly market value. The Nicola Core mandate may change throughout time. Additional information regarding policies for calculating and reporting returns is available upon request. The composite returns presented represent past performance and is not a reliable indicator of future results, which may vary. Morningstar Canadian Neutral Balanced is a proprietary index developed by Morningstar Canada based on the CIFSC Fund categories (www.cifsc.org). This index includes funds which meet the following criteria: Funds in the Canadian Neutral Balanced category must invest at least 70% of total assets in a combination of equity securities domiciled in Canada and Canadian dollar denominated fixed income securities and between 40% and 60% of their total assets in equity securities. Comparisons of the historical performance of Nicola Wealth funds or models to the historical performance of indexes, mutual funds or other investment vehicles should only be undertaken with consideration of the differences that exist between the underlying investments that comprise the compared investment vehicles. Indexes may be primarily composed of a single asset type/asset class (i.e. 100% equities or 100% bonds) whereas Nicola Wealth funds may or may not contain a combination of exchange-traded equities, marketable bonds, private investments, other alternative investment classes and exempt products. When making any comparison of historical performance, these differences and their impact on the performance of each comparable should be taken into account. The performance comparisons provided are based on the best available information at the time of preparation and is subject to change without notice. While we strive to ensure accuracy, we do not guarantee the completeness or reliability of third-party data, and no liability is assumed for any errors or omissions. Nicola Wealth Management Ltd. (Nicola Wealth) is registered as a Portfolio Manager, Exempt Market Dealer and Investment Fund Manager with the required securities commissions.


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