Where lies the cruelest part of this AI crash?

The S&P has barely dropped at all.

The storage stocks you chased have halved, the semiconductors you chased fell by 20%, and the Korean stocks you chased hit circuit breakers.

In the same market, those buying indices aren't panicked at all, even making money, while those picking individual stocks are cutting losses and losing money.

During the rally, everyone thought they understood AI, storage, and semiconductors.

They didn't even look at earnings reports or calculate valuations; just because someone said "storage is always in short supply," they went all-in. When the real crash came, they couldn't tell if the logic had changed, so their emotions took over first, leaving them to tearfully liquidate at the bottom.

Individual stock investing isn't just about picking the right direction; you also need to buy low enough, keep your position size reasonable, and withstand major drawdowns along the way.

If you miss any of these, even if you picked the right direction, you won't hold until the end.

What's even more heartbreaking is that for some individual stocks, despite enduring such huge volatility and taking on significant risk, your final returns will likely still underperform a do-nothing S&P 500.

You don't need to guess who the next big gainer will be, nor worry every day about a sudden bombshell from a company. Buy an SPY, and you'll still enjoy the long-term growth dividends of AI and US tech.

Admitting you can't beat the market isn't shameful at all.

Complaining verbally that indices rise too slowly, yet chasing highs and selling lows all year round, only to underperform the S&P in the end—that is truly shameful.