Q:

Is it wise to switch investment strategy frequently?

I am young and have many many years before retiring, so people always advise me to choose a high risk/growth strategy for my super. Ok, say i accept it, then my question is:
Is it worth switching your super's investment strategy frequently according to market condition, as opposed to just sticking to the high growth one I chose? i.e. Should I choose a low risk option when the market is not doing so well, and high risk one when it is? Or just stick to the high growth one given there are many years ahead of me.
I understand most fund charge you a fee for making frequent switch, but that's not my point, so let's not worry about that.

A:

I understand you're trying to ask a narrow question, but you're basically asking whether you should time the market.  You can find tons of books saying you shouldn't try it, and tons more confirming that you can.  Both will have data and anecdotes to back them up.  So I'll give you my own opinion.
Speculation
Market timing, especially in a macro sense, is a zero-sum game.  Your first thought should be: I'm smarter than the average person; the average person is an idiot.  However, remember that a whole lot of the money in the market is not controlled by idiots.  You really need to ask yourself if you can compete with people who get paid to spend 12 hours a day trying to beat the market.
Investing
Stick with a mid-range strategy for now.  Your convictions aren't and shouldn't be strong enough at the moment to do otherwise.  But, if you can't resist, I say go ahead and do what you feel.  Regardless of what you do, your returns over the next 3 years won't be life changing.  In the meantime, learn as much as you can about investing, and keep a journal of your investment activity to keep yourself honest.

