Question 1

True or false: William O'Neil founded Investor's Business Daily, a major financial newspaper and research platform.

Accepted Answer

True. O'Neil launched IBD in 1984 as a competitor to The Wall Street Journal, focusing on stock charts and data-driven investing.

Question 2

True or false: O'Neil's CAN SLIM system stands for 'Cash, Avoidance, New, Sales, Leaders, Industry, Market'.

Accepted Answer

False. CAN SLIM actually stands for Current earnings, Annual earnings, New product/service, Supply & demand, Leader/laggard, Institutional sponsorship, Market direction.

Question 3

True or false: William O'Neil recommended buying stocks only when they hit new 52-week highs, a counterintuitive strategy.

Accepted Answer

True. His research showed that stocks making new highs often continue higher, contrary to the common 'buy low' advice.

Question 4

True or false: O'Neil was a vocal advocate for using only fundamental analysis, dismissing technical chart patterns.

Accepted Answer

False. O'Neil actually combined both, using earnings and sales data with chart patterns like cup-with-handle for entry timing.

Question 5

True or false: William O'Neil believed in diversifying across dozens of stocks to reduce risk at all times.

Accepted Answer

False. O'Neil advocated concentrated portfolios—usually 4-8 stocks—and cutting losses quickly while letting winners run.

Question 6

True or false: O'Neil's first major stock market success came from buying Polaroid in the early 1960s and tripling his money.

Accepted Answer

True. He bought Polaroid shares in 1962 using a chart-based approach, turning a small investment into a substantial profit.

Question 7

True or false: O'Neil's book 'How to Make Money in Stocks' was originally rejected by multiple publishers before becoming a bestseller.

Accepted Answer

False. The book was published in 1988 by McGraw-Hill and became an instant classic; no rejection saga is documented.

Question 8

True or false: O'Neil bought a seat on the New York Stock Exchange at age 30, making him one of the youngest members.

Accepted Answer

True. In 1964, at just 30, O'Neil purchased an NYSE seat and later founded the institutional research firm William O'Neil + Co.

William O'Neil Trivia Questions