When High Yield Becomes a Warning Sign: Escaping the Herd Mentality in Income Investing
An elevated yield is not always a reward — sometimes it is a distress signal the market is broadcasting in plain sight. This article examines how collective investor behavior inflates risk in popular high-yield sectors and offers a disciplined framework for separating genuine income opportunities from yield traps. Historical case studies from REITs and utilities illustrate precisely where the crowd went wrong.