Investing is as much about avoiding costly mistakes as it is about finding winning stocks. In a market like this one, pummeled by sky-high inflation, interest rate concerns, and recession fears, staying away from stocks that are unlikely to produce decent returns in the long run is particularly important.

There are bad stocks, and then there are Beyond Meat, Peloton, and Coinbase. All three companies are struggling with plunging demand, losing heaps of money, and dependent on fads or frenzies. It's best to keep your distance.

Beyond Meat

As inflation puts pressure on consumers, fake meat products have been tossed out of the grocery cart. Overall sales of refrigerated plant-based meat products in the U.S. are contracting at a double-digit rate as people become unwilling to pay a hefty premium.

Beyond Meat is gaining market share against a deluge of competition, but that doesn't matter much in a shrinking market. The company reported a 1.6% revenue decline in the second quarter, and that was the good news.

Demand has tumbled by so much that Beyond Meat was forced to unload a bunch of its inventory through liquidation channels. Gross margin was negative in the second quarter thanks to this fake meat fire sale and the effect of the Beyond Meat Jerky launch, which has underperformed the company's expectations.

Beyond Meat posted a net loss of $97.1 million on $147 million of revenue in the second quarter, and it slashed its revenue outlook for the full year. Layoffs will help bring down costs, but the company is likely to need to raise additional capital at some point. The balance sheet has $455 million in cash and $1.1 billion in debt -- that cash won't last long if business doesn't improve. Beyond Meat posted a free cash flow loss of $476 million through the first six months of the year.

If fake meat turns out to be a fad, Beyond Meat is in major trouble. And even if the category has staying power, intense competition will make it difficult for Beyond Meat to earn enough in profit to justify its $1.6 billion market cap. Just as customers are staying away from Beyond Meat's products in the grocery store, investors should stay away from the stock.