The value of investments can fall as well as rise. You may receive back less than you invest, and in some instruments losses can exceed the initial amount.
1. General research, not a personal recommendation
TickerHoof is designed to present general model-generated research observations. It does not take account of your complete financial position, objectives, experience, tax status, investment horizon, liquidity needs or capacity for loss.
Do not treat an observation, watchlist item, confidence score, notification or portfolio-overlap indicator as an instruction or a substitute for advice from an appropriately authorised professional.
2. Capital is at risk
Share prices can fall suddenly or permanently. Companies can fail, suspend dividends, issue additional shares, be delisted or become difficult to trade. Currency movements, fees, spreads, tax and timing can materially change your result.
Only invest money you can afford to place at risk and consider diversification. Diversification can reduce some risks but cannot eliminate loss.
3. AI and model risk
AI systems and quantitative models can:
- misinterpret evidence or generate incorrect explanations;
- overweight historical patterns that no longer apply;
- miss newly released, private, local-language or unstructured information;
- behave differently in unusual market conditions;
- produce outputs that appear confident despite weak or conflicting evidence;
- be affected by model changes, software bugs or configuration errors.
Human-readable rationale improves transparency but does not prove that the conclusion is correct.
4. Data may be incomplete, delayed or wrong
Market prices, fundamentals, news, corporate actions and provider data may be delayed, adjusted, unavailable or inaccurate. A displayed price may not be executable. Always check current information from reliable primary or regulated sources before acting.
5. Market and individual-security risks
Risks include volatility, liquidity shortages, concentration, leverage, interest-rate changes, inflation, currency movements, political events, regulation, litigation, fraud, accounting restatements, cyber incidents, commodity prices and unexpected corporate announcements.
Smaller, newly listed, overseas or thinly traded securities may carry additional liquidity, disclosure, governance and execution risks.
6. Past performance and backtesting
Past price performance, previous model accuracy and backtested results are not reliable indicators of future outcomes. Backtests can be affected by survivorship bias, look-ahead bias, data quality, overfitting and assumptions that cannot be replicated in live markets.
A measured observation can be directionally correct while still being unsuitable, unprofitable after costs or impossible to execute at the reference price.
7. Confidence is not probability of profit
A TickerHoof confidence score reflects the model's internal assessment of the evidence used for that observation. It is not:
- a guarantee that the price will move in the stated direction;
- a forecast of the percentage return;
- a measure of how much money to invest;
- a substitute for suitability or risk assessment;
- a promise that an observation with a higher score will outperform one with a lower score.
8. Portfolio context is limited
A read-only Alpaca connection may show balances and positions, but it does not create a complete financial plan. It may omit accounts held elsewhere, debts, pensions, tax consequences, household needs and other material circumstances. Synchronisation can be delayed.
TickerHoof does not automatically trade, rebalance or protect a portfolio from loss.
9. You are responsible for every decision
Before investing, independently assess the company or instrument, current disclosures, price, liquidity, fees, tax, downside scenarios and compatibility with your own circumstances. Consider obtaining regulated financial, legal or tax advice.
If you do not understand an investment or cannot tolerate its potential loss, do not proceed solely because it appears in TickerHoof.