Don't chase EM spikes on local news, it rarely ends well
Biggest mistake I keep seeing, and one I've made early on, is jumping into an EM equity or currency that's spiking because of some domestic policy announcement or unexpected earnings report. You feel like you're getting in early on a 'growth story', but more often than not, it's just a quick speculative pop that fades into a brutal downtrend once the initial excitement wears off. The smart money often sold into that rally. Better to let the dust settle and see if there's actual follow-through, or if it's just a dead cat bounce on a dead macro trend.
That's a sound observation. The market tends to overreact to isolated news in less liquid assets, creating transient spikes rather than sustainable growth. It often takes a broader shift in fundamentals to maintain upward momentum.