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
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
Cat or dog? Maybe Zebra. Shucks, I don't know, but... Read More
On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and... Read More
Before they go over the cliff to their destruction these... Read More
The single most expensive stock market trades are those made... Read More
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a... Read More
For the last 12 years we have seen the Japanese... Read More
I am hearing predictions by brokers, financial planners, talk show... Read More
As the man said, "I've got some good news and... Read More
Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More
When it comes to buying a stock or mutual fund... Read More
Well maybe that's overstating it a little, but it's certainly... Read More
One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't... Read More
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired... Read More
All of the talking heads have been telling us that... Read More
Are hedge funds a suitable investment for you? Hedge funds... Read More
Carefully thinking through your goal as a trader is of... Read More
Profitable day traders recognize that momentum trading is among the... Read More
I often hear from people, "I don't trade. I invest.... Read More
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More
In a previously written article, we expanded the use of... Read More
Its dinnertime and the phone rings. It's Joe Noname with... Read More
Among the largest forces that affect stock prices are inflation,... Read More
1. Do not spread your money too thin.My friend has... Read More
Any online investor / trader seeks an excellent off or... Read More
tidy up service Arlington Heights ..One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds... Read More
An investor can find and research the best stock on... Read More
Every day I see in the financial section of newspapers... Read More
Both the stock market and oil prices rallied recently, which... Read More
The stock market has not been very kind to your... Read More
When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
One of the things people are always asking me is... Read More
How many times have you said to yourself, "I'd like... Read More
If you go to Haiti or other places in the... Read More
What the heck am I talking about?It is often said... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
Since I can remember, and that's a long time ago,... Read More
A common problem I often see when working with living... Read More
When you become interested in a stock or mutual fund... Read More
This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More
When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot... Read More
Stocks breakout from properly formed bases everyday but many investors... Read More
It has been said that low cost or even free... Read More
In my opinion, due to the volatility of stock market... Read More
It looks like the market is ready to start up... Read More
Every day I hear someone on CNBC proclaim that "this... Read More
How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More
Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can... Read More
One Saturday morning, while he was sitting at his computer... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |