We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Economy

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is the Mosaic Theory?

Malcolm Tatum
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 16,743
Share

The mosaic theory is an approach that is sometimes employed to locate and collect information regarding a specific company. Security analysts, investors, corporate raiders, and anyone else with an interest in the securities issued by that company are likely to make use of this multifaceted method of obtaining and analyzing data. The data is collected from the many sources available to analysts and investors, making it possible to arrive at an informed decision about the status of those securities.

There is some degree of controversy surrounding the use of the mosaic theory. Proponents see this method as being a common sense and orderly approach to collecting relevant data, and deciding if stocks issued by a given company should be recommended as investments. Emphasis is placed on qualifying the data collected, since that data may include verifiable information that is widely available to the public, or news items that have just released to the public. The data may also hearsay or rumors that are currently circulating about upcoming events associated with the leadership, product line, or some other aspect of the issuing company. Those who support the use of the mosaic theory believe that any type of information that can be obtained should be taken into consideration as a means of protecting clients from making poor investment decisions.

Critics of the mosaic theory note that while much of the data collected comes from public sources, there are situations where information not yet released to the public may also be included in the assessment process. For some, this creates a situation where there is some concern about the ethical use of that non-public data. The critics often note that since the data is not yet available to the general public, a money manager or security analyst should avoid considering non-public information, since this type of activity could be contrary to insider trading regulation that are in place in a given jurisdiction.

At present, use of the mosaic theory as a valid means of evaluating the stability of a corporation and the value of securities issued by that company is recognized by the CFA Institute. One requirement as outlined by the Institute is that all data collected and considered as part of the evaluation process must be disclosed to the client at the time the recommendation is made. This allows the client to decide if he or she is uncomfortable with any data obtained from a particular source, and take that factor into consideration before making a decision regarding the investment opportunity.

Share
SmartCapitalMind is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Malcolm Tatum
By Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing to become a full-time freelance writer. He has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including SmartCapitalMind, and his work has also been featured in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and newspapers. When not writing, Malcolm enjoys collecting vinyl records, following minor league baseball, and cycling.

Related Articles

Discussion Comments
By BoniJ — On Nov 07, 2011

I can see the problem of investment managers using non-public information to guide him in giving advice to his client about an investment. There could be suspicions come up about using information known only to brokerage firms.

The idea that managers must tell the customer about all the data he used to make a recommendation and make sure he understands why the recommendation is being made.

But in the end, money managers are not fortune tellers - they can't predict with any great degree of certainty how any investment will do.

By Esther11 — On Nov 06, 2011

I don't think that it is that difficult for a money manager to gather information regarding a potential investment for a client. The hard part is analyzing the data and putting it together to see relationships. This is about the only way a manager can use the data to predict to any degree, how well an investment will do.

I think the average person could gather the data, but likely wouldn't be able to consolidate the information and make real meaning out of it.

I think the idea of using the mosaic theory of getting information for advice in investing is all right, but the gatherer of information must be knowledgeable enough to choose information that is reliable and useful and then analyze it as a whole.

By David09 — On Nov 06, 2011

@MrMoody - It’s called a search engine. Just type in a security and keep searching and gather as much information as possible. Really a lot of this stuff comes down to human analysis. You will have to sift through mountains of data and make your own judgment in the end.

By MrMoody — On Nov 05, 2011

@everetra - I think that both the mosaic theory and the web bots have merit. It makes sense to me. Get as much information as possible, and you can make the best possible predictions, whether you are talking about world events or investments.

That’s the premise behind the trend analyses that some so-called gurus make when they write books about the future.

What I want to know, however, is does software exist which helps me do this stuff on my own? Is there a mosaic software application that will scour the Internet for me and make some prediction about what to invest in?

By everetra — On Nov 04, 2011

I think that the mosaic theory sounds very much like another algorithm floating about on the Internet, the so-called use of web bots.

If you haven’t heard, web bots are basically search engines that crawl the Internet and gather as much information as possible about a particular subject.

They may scour news articles, blogs, videos or whatever – and they compile the information and then make a prediction about a future event. The idea seems to be that as the time for an event to actually happen draws near the “scuttlebutt” for that event draws closer and closer, as reflected in increased Internet chatter.

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing...
Learn more
Share
https://www.smartcapitalmind.com/what-is-the-mosaic-theory.htm
Copy this link
SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

SmartCapitalMind, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.