The simplest way to benefit from a rising market is to buy an index fund. Active investors aim to buy stocks that vastly outperform the market - but in the process, they risk under-performance. Investors in Domain Holdings Australia Limited ( ASX:DHG ) have tasted that bitter downside in the last year, as the share price dropped 41%. That's well below the market decline of 3.1%. On the bright side, the stock is actually up 7.9% in the last three years. On the other hand, we note it's up 9.3% in about a month. However, this may be a matter of broader market optimism, since stocks are up 5.4% in the same time.