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
car service from Midway Burlington .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareThere are many important things you need to know to... Read More
The spring-loaded rat catcher is the ultimate low-tech device invented... Read More
"If you don't know where you are going, any road... Read More
Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
In his wonderful book, 'Multiple Streams of Income', best selling... Read More
Every day on CNBC-TV they show a 200-day moving average... Read More
When you invest in the stock market for ever-increasing cash... Read More
When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot... Read More
Everybody is riding the Wall Street Roller coaster. Even if... Read More
One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't... Read More
For some "long term" would mean holding a stock position... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
As the man said, "I've got some good news and... Read More
Every successful trader has a winning system. There are of... Read More
You may have wondered why your mutual funds have been... Read More
Having lived aboard a sailboat for 2 years I was... Read More
If you're a normal human being, your need to feel... Read More
Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn... Read More
Economists know more about how the fragments of society work... Read More
The stock market often closes a week in the middle... Read More
You must take the time once a month to review... Read More
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are growing. Investors are choosing low... Read More
One of the most believed bits of conventional wisdom from... Read More
Many people would like to diversify their portfolios to expand... Read More
Granger limo Chicago ..Among the largest forces that affect stock prices are inflation,... Read More
If you go to Haiti or other places in the... Read More
Picking a beaten-down stock requires a different kind of selection... Read More
I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
If you have been watching the stock market at all... Read More
Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in... Read More
Just about everything you have been told about Social Security... Read More
Are you paying any attention to your retirement savings? Do... Read More
Minority Report the movie may not be far off if... Read More
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
The demand for world oil is increasing while world reserves... Read More
Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More
I am hearing predictions by brokers, financial planners, talk show... Read More
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired... Read More
Everybody is riding the Wall Street Roller coaster. Even if... Read More
Sometime around 1980, can't remember exactly, there was a flight... Read More
Having lived aboard a sailboat for 2 years I was... Read More
When most analysts, financial planners, fund specialists and investors try... Read More
What! Me worry?Many of you remember the cover of MAD... Read More
The bulls and bears of the stock market are both... Read More
When it comes to 401k's there is an overabundance of... Read More
Last time we looked at the real performance of the... Read More
When you invest in the stock market for ever-increasing cash... Read More
Every year I go to the Money Show in Orlando,... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |