Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's horsemen could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The Stock Market has had a great fall and all the brokers, CEOs, analysts and politicians have not been able to get it back up again.
Oh, it will go up again, but if history has a way of repeating it will be a long time before we see it at "even". From 1920 to the present there have been 3 major bull markets lasting close to 16 years. Unfortunately, each has been followed by a bear market of about the same length of time. So far we are ending the 3rd year of the projected down cycle with only 13 more years to get to the bottom. It is a long way off.
At a recent investment seminar one of the speakers asked his large audience if they believed the stock market would be higher 5 years from now. Every one except one thought it would be. The current mindset of most investors believes this also. For the period from 1982 to 2000 (18 years, close enough) there has been a bull market. Every investor has considered himself to be a financial genius during that time. There is an old saying, "The market makes fools of us all ? sooner or later".
Unless you learn to listen to what the market is saying and not your broker, you will be able to recoup some of your losses, but probably not all. During this long-term bear called a secular bear market, your main effort will not be to make money but to keep from losing more. During a bear market the one who loses the least is a winner. You may not like what I say, but history has that strange way of doing it over and over.
Maybe I am wrong about it because "this time it is different". I hope so, but you can protect your money in your 401K or elsewhere with a simple loss limit order. Call your broker and have him place a 10% (or whatever number your prefer) stop-loss order on all your positions. That way you don't guess about where to sell; you let the market tell you when it has turned weak.
Brokers and brokerage companies hate stop-loss orders and will try to talk you out of it. Ask him if he will guarantee your portfolio. You can bet he isn't that dumb. It is your money. Once it is gone you will have very little chance of getting it back. Protect what you have left.
Don't be a Humpty Dumpty!
Al Thomas
Author of "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!"
Never lose money in the stock market again.
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWell maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly... Read More
There are many good penny stock investments available, which could... Read More
Checked your 401K lately? Going back to about a year... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
Picking a beaten-down stock requires a different kind of selection... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
One Saturday morning, while he was sitting at his computer... Read More
Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
The Bollinger Band theory is designed to depict the volatility... Read More
Suppose your position has made a big move and you... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More
Ever have one of those sample boxes of candy? Each... Read More
Using Swing Trading Strategies and Technical Analysis when Trading Stocks... Read More
According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More
Congress recently passed another new law that is supposed to... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
I am taking the time to help others learn the... Read More
Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
If you don't know where you are going any road... Read More
You must take the time once a month to review... Read More
If you have not back tested your trading system, you... Read More
Since I can remember, and that's a long time ago,... Read More
Granger limo Chicago ..We have two candidates for president that have really different... Read More
Trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many layers to... Read More
It has fallen upon the consumer to make our economy... Read More
We need a rabbit!This was a pretty horrible week for... Read More
If you want one.And I don't recommend any broker with... Read More
There are major differences between trading stocks and trading futures.... Read More
If you go to Haiti or other places in the... Read More
Just 30 years ago the stock market was a shadow... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and... Read More
I was recently interviewed for a press release through a... Read More
Reach in your pocket and take out that big roll... Read More
Today we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
It has often been said that there is only two... Read More
What does it take to be a stock trader? It... Read More
The broker told me not to sell because the mutual... Read More
Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
What does it mean to short a stock?This means that... Read More
All of the talking heads have been telling us that... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
Mutual funds by definition are a mixed bag of stocks,... Read More
Who are the successful investors?There are those who follow the... Read More
Have you bought any mutual funds this year or late... Read More
The stock market has not been very kind to your... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |