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
efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR standing firm in the... Read More
Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can... Read More
The trading method you employ to approach the stock market... Read More
What! Me worry?Many of you remember the cover of MAD... Read More
There are formulas for just about everything, but it has... Read More
Ever have one of those sample boxes of candy? Each... Read More
The Dow Theorycharles h. dowcharles h.... Read More
I am hearing predictions by brokers, financial planners, talk show... Read More
You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More
Starbucks earnings are up again and so is their stock... Read More
There can't be many traders who haven't at least considered... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
Wouldn't it be nice if you were only in the... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Inverted interest rates? What's that? Who cares? Even if you... Read More
Sidney felt sick as she looked at her latest OptionsXpress... Read More
Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More
If you have been dealing with mutual funds for any... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
If you want one.And I don't recommend any broker with... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
Mutual funds are doing more and more to discourage investors... Read More
I mean it when I say that. While plastic silverware... Read More
Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one... Read More
cleaning lady near Wilmette ..It looks like we have now entered a new bull... Read More
There are many good penny stock investments available, which could... Read More
People are constantly asking me why is the stock market... Read More
Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More
It has often been said that there is only two... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
Sidney felt sick as she looked at her latest OptionsXpress... Read More
Among the largest forces that affect stock prices are inflation,... Read More
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck... Read More
I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More
I cringe every time I hear a novice investor tell... Read More
Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital... Read More
Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell... Read More
A recent cartoon in my daily newspaper showed two guys... Read More
Suppose your position has made a big move and you... Read More
If you were to find that you had some severe... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
Peter is a professional trader, Paul is not. Peter has... Read More
The single most expensive stock market trades are those made... Read More
Mutual funds are doing more and more to discourage investors... Read More
I know there are a lot of you out there... Read More
Last time we looked at the real performance of the... Read More
There are formulas for just about everything, but it has... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |