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
high-end home cleaning Arlington Heights ..Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
We all know that emotions control every decision that an... Read More
Sometime around 1980, can't remember exactly, there was a flight... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
Trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many layers to... Read More
1. Do not spread your money too thin.My friend has... Read More
The stock market has not been very kind to your... Read More
When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"... Read More
I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. High and... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
The stock market can present you with a lot of... Read More
Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
Because there are so many stocks that are NOT paying... Read More
Let's go into the details of why non-indexed mutual funds... Read More
Hello Inflation, it has been awhile, I see you on... Read More
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's... Read More
What are you thinking when it comes to your no... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
Investors who exclusively use broadly diversified, no load mutual funds... Read More
Every publicly traded company is required by the SEC(Securities and... Read More
Four blind men were asked to give a description of... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
custom home cleaning Mundelein ..Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More
Let's go into the details of why non-indexed mutual funds... Read More
How often have you come across an advertisement or e-mail... Read More
Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
If you have been dealing with mutual funds for any... Read More
Let's first define insanity. It is doing the same thing... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
There are formulas for just about everything, but it has... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
The debate rages all over Eastern and Central Europe, in... Read More
On the 40 year journey through the turmoil of a... Read More
I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. High and... Read More
Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More
Carefully thinking through your goal as a trader is of... Read More
I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
That sounds like good advice doesn't it? Don't lose all... Read More
Every stock market investor faces one primal enemy. An enemy... Read More
We are already in it, but you can't see it.... Read More
Its dinnertime and the phone rings. It's Joe Noname with... Read More
Do you own any mutual funds? In an IRA or... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
Has your broker been calling you recently with the "great... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |