In fact, nobody has ever done this successfully and consistently over multiple business or stock market cycles. Sure, active traders use minute-to-minute fluctuations to lock in gains. This is not to suggest that you should devote your entire portfolio to small-cap stocks. One thing that even Warren Buffett doesn’t do is to try to time the stock market, although he does have a very strong view on the price levels appropriate to individual shares. From to , small-cap stocks in the U.