Social Arbitrage: Finding Alpha Through Real-World Observation

I’ve sat outside of a Victoria’s Secret for weeks and counted the numbers of bags each person had in their hand as they walked out.

I went to three different Starbucks everyday for 3 months straight to count how many cars went through the drive thru from 7am-10am, just to support a thesis.

I sat on a college campus and asked hundreds of students which social media platform was their newest obsession.

(yes im f*cking nuts)

I spent so many years trying to find an edge. How can I actually beat the markets?

For most of history, there’s been 2 main ways to analyze an asset.

Fundamental & technical analysis.

Both are real + well researched.

The age old debate though is…are these two universally trusted types of stock picking analysis statistically reliable if everybody uses them?

I’m not here to sh*t on fundies/technicals (I sprinkle in both).

But my style is very different…something I started adopting a few years ago.

It’s this.

Markets are made up of people…human nature.

Cultural trends. Social media. Events. Behavior.

The real world, in real time. The stuff that nobody notices until it shows up on an earnings release six months later.

It’s called social arbitrage, or observational investing.

And I’m going way harder on posting content in 2026 to help you guys understand how much alpha is right infront of your eyes.

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Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.

Social Arbitrage: Finding Alpha Through Real-World Observation

For SG users only, Welcome to open a CBA today and enjoy access to a trading limit of up to SGD 20,000 with unlimited trading on SG, HK, and US stocks, as well as ETFs.

Find out more here.

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