One of the basic laws of physics states that a body in motion will continue in motion in the direction it is going until interrupted by another force.
That basic physics law also applies to stocks and mutual funds. To see this trend it will be very apparent in a weekly or monthly chart rather than a daily chart. The daily chart shows too much noise (random movement).
In the Friday edition of Investor's Business Daily you will find 37 weekly charts on the back page of Section 2. One of the common occurrences among these issues is the steady upward progression of price, many with an angle of 30 degrees or more. The up movement of price may have been going on for many months. This is the kind of stock you want to own and even add to your position as it continues upward.
Most brokers talk about dollar cost averaging and mean adding to a stock as it goes down. That is stupid. There is only one right way to dollar cost average and that is when it is going up - NEVER down. Averaging down will put you in the poor house.
Today's stock market (end of 1999) we see the upward momentum of almost all the major stock averages - the DOW Jones Industrials, the S&P500, the Russell 2000 and many more. Some of these indexes are headed for the stratosphere. No, I have no idea how high or how far is up, but remain 100% invested to take advantage of this runaway bull. The market will tell me when to sell.
For anyone holding individual stocks about the only thing you can do is set a trailing stop-loss order so that when the issue turns you will be out with a nice profit. Don't try to predict the top because you will sell too soon. Let the stock itself tell you when to get out. The amount of the stop will be up to you, but I like about 10% of Friday's closing price. Never move the stop down.
There are people who buy mutual funds and put them away and never look to see how they are doing. This is a mistake. You are hurting your financial future if you do not regularly review your funds. Monthly is best, never less that quarterly. Momentum applies here too and even more so because many funds have a bias to a particular sector of the market. There are big caps, small caps, regional, international, value, etc., etc., etc. A policy to enhance your income is to see which sectors or groups are doing best and be invested in a fund that is heavily in that sector.
Mutual funds of a certain sector will run up for months at a time, even years, but when that sector becomes weak you should sell immediately and buy a stronger one. If you are with a discount broker there will be no commission to switch and, of course, you only buy no-load funds. Never blindly buy and hold any fund.
As you become aware of the momentum of various sectors and switch to stay with the strongest you can easily double your current return.
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
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com; 1-888-345-7870
weekly home cleaning Highland Park ..We keep hearing about this bear market and that the... Read More
When will the stock market stop going down and start... Read More
It has fallen upon the consumer to make our economy... Read More
From the book 'The Stockopoly Plan' by the author Charles... Read More
I know there are a lot of you out there... Read More
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR standing firm in the... Read More
If you don't know where you are going any road... Read More
I feel that an investment strategy in the stock market... Read More
The demand for world oil is increasing while world reserves... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
You have a lock on your house. You have a... Read More
This is a rather simple strategy with which I am... Read More
When you become interested in a stock or mutual fund... Read More
Ever done any whitewater rafting or canoeing? Long periods of... Read More
Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More
Have you been listening to the talking heads on CNBC-TV?... Read More
Refuse is a serious issue in any society, about as... Read More
Mutual fund investing is a lot like Thai cooking. Everyone... Read More
For the last 12 years we have seen the Japanese... Read More
How many times have you said to yourself, "I'd like... Read More
"If you don't know where you are going, any road... Read More
It is finally catching up with them. The brokerage companies... Read More
Everybody is riding the Wall Street Roller coaster. Even if... Read More
Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life... Read More
You may have wondered why your mutual funds have been... Read More
whole house cleaning Park Ridge ..On the 40 year journey through the turmoil of a... Read More
One Saturday morning, while he was sitting at his computer... Read More
What does it take to be a stock trader? It... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
If you've ever flipped on the television to CNN Financial... Read More
The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking... Read More
Much like the middle child, mid-cap stocks have long struggled... Read More
Its dinnertime and the phone rings. It's Joe Noname with... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
The stock market is very unstable at this time going... Read More
Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
Maximizing a stock market investmentThere are several factors an investor... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
It is wonderful to be alive in the information age.... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
04/28/2005NASDAQ dropped -12.5% year to date in 2005. S&P500 index... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
Sometime in the third quarter of 1997, someone told me... Read More
Did you run out to buy that duct tape yet?... Read More
For the last few weeks we have seen the stock... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |