When you stand on the ocean shore and watch the waves breaking you might become aware that the tide is coming in or going out. It is a slow process to watch the water retreat and when it finally gets to its lowest point it is almost impossible to tell if it has stopped or will retreat further. Plenty of wave action, but going nowhere.
This reminds me of our current stock market. It still looks like the tide is going out because for the last 2 months all the major stock indexes have been inching down. Even the talking heads on CNBC are saying you must be cautious. They would be fired if they told you to sell. How can you tell what is gong on? Almost every analyst and broker looks at the major market indexes ? the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Index. On the surface they look very negative.
The DOW is composed of 30 large companies. The S&P500 has 500 companies of many sizes, but the number (index) generated is weighted by the size of the company. The bigger it is the more it affects the index. And the Nasdaq is smaller companies and have more of the high tech corporations that have been hit so hard and are still having mucho trouble. The professional traders and mutual fund managers relate more to the S&P500. Almost all domestic stock mutual funds have been lower in price for the first quarter.
Even though the S&P has been slipping it is interesting to note that 300 of the 500 stocks that make up the index are HIGHER. Yes, 60% of them have continued to advance, but it doesn't show - yet. When a market is changing directions it is similar to watching the tide stop going out and slowly change. That is what is going on now. The wave action is there, but you can't see that the body of water is now beginning to move the other way.
There are some strong underlying currents such and the Small and Midcap Value stocks, Real Estate stocks, the Leisure group and Financials. This applies to picking individual issues as well as buying mutual funds that specialize in these areas. If you want to be successful ? make money ? in this market you must be with the strongest group so you must switch from weak stocks and mutual funds to those that are currently strong. Fund managers tell you to look at the 3 and 5-year track record and "stay for the long haul". All that does is make money for him, not you. You must find the no-load mutual funds that are going up the fastest during the past 3 and 6-month time period and buy them now.
The only way to Buy and Hold is to buy and hold only while they are going up and to sell them immediately when they start to decline. Don't let the weak stocks or funds carry your cash out with the money undertow.
Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.
Copyright 2005
taxi to Midway Janesville .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareToday we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
In one of my previous articles (Investing in the stock... Read More
Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided... Read More
Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell... Read More
Right now there doesn't seem to be any "gold fever".... Read More
If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then... Read More
AS BUILDERS BEGIN WORK ON THE FREEDOM TOWER in New... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
Every day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
Duck! No I don't mean a quack, quack. I meant... Read More
Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can... Read More
Let's go into the details of why non-indexed mutual funds... Read More
I was recently interviewed for a press release through a... Read More
You must take the time once a month to review... Read More
How often have you come across an advertisement or e-mail... Read More
I have been trading for several decades and was an... Read More
I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
People are always asking me when should I sell my... Read More
Should the market turn against you, it is important that... Read More
For years investors have been taught to look into the... Read More
Let's discuss commodities; with the latest Enron situation, it is... Read More
After finding the price of a particular stock, usually the... Read More
You've decided to try your luck at trading stocks or... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
It is finally catching up with them. The brokerage companies... Read More
Plano taxi to Midway ..Disclaimer: Please note that I do not necessarily purchase, own,... Read More
We need a rabbit!This was a pretty horrible week for... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the... Read More
If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then... Read More
Are you attracted to the idea of being in control... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
Money management starts with protecting your capital, realizing profits and... Read More
Robert Rodriguez likes to buy stocks at their lows. When... Read More
Most people think the stock market is a zero sum... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
Both the stock market and oil prices rallied recently, which... Read More
I constantly hear the talking heads on CNBC-TV, the radio... Read More
This is a guide to the different types of mutual... Read More
For years investors have been taught to look into the... Read More
For the last 12 years we have seen the Japanese... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Minority Report the movie may not be far off if... Read More
Trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many layers to... Read More
Sidney felt sick as she looked at her latest OptionsXpress... Read More
There are major differences between trading stocks and trading futures.... Read More
The Shadow knows. Remember him? It seems a shadow has... Read More
Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |