In this article, Michael Mauboussin explores how investors can generate excess returns by focusing on the gap between price and value, emphasizing the practicalities and psychology of expected value in investment decisions. He explains that while price is observable, value is inherently probabilistic, requiring careful estimation of possible payoffs and their probabilities. The paper covers the challenges of modeling uncertainty, the importance of considering both probabilities and payoffs, the psychological hurdles investors face (like loss aversion), and best practices for applying these concepts across asset classes.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are rapidly transforming the business landscape, with profound implications for companies, workers, and investors. In their April 2025 report, Morgan Stanley’s Counterpoint Global explores how the adoption of these technologies is driving efficiency, reshaping workforces, and creating new investment opportunities-especially through “second-order effects.”