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 Lake Forest ..Before they go over the cliff to their destruction these... Read More
With an insecure job market, overworked employees, insufficient retirement savings... Read More
What are you thinking when it comes to your no... Read More
Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is... Read More
Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in... Read More
This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More
Its dinnertime and the phone rings. It's Joe Noname with... Read More
Carefully thinking through your goal as a trader is of... Read More
You have a lock on your house. You have a... Read More
The Law of Chaos is the theory of random unpredictable... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
What is leverage?Here is a definition of leverage from an... Read More
There has been great condemnation recently because China has been... Read More
On the 40 year journey through the turmoil of a... Read More
When you invest in the stock market for ever-increasing cash... Read More
Regardless of the fact that the world's stock markets have... Read More
Who are the successful investors?There are those who follow the... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
Never lose money in the stock market again. Yeah, I... Read More
Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
Have you ever thought of investing? Do you have a... Read More
Ever have one of those sample boxes of candy? Each... Read More
Economists know more about how the fragments of society work... Read More
green cleaning service Deerfield ..The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking... Read More
THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR standing firm in the... Read More
We learnt the following the hard way! If any of... Read More
"If you don't know where you are going, any road... Read More
Now where have I heard that before? I know. It... Read More
When it comes to 401k's there is an overabundance of... Read More
On Monday, November 25, 2000 Investor's Business Daily listed on... Read More
Ever done any whitewater rafting or canoeing? Long periods of... Read More
Time to look back2004 is over, now we are in... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
What are you thinking when it comes to your no... Read More
Just about now everyone is confused as to which way... Read More
Mutual funds by definition are a mixed bag of stocks,... Read More
I constantly hear the talking heads on CNBC-TV, the radio... Read More
Hedge current portfolio positions and gain access to capital resources... Read More
I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
The Bollinger Band theory is designed to depict the volatility... Read More
Let me start by saying that...Most online brokers do not... Read More
Congress recently passed another new law that is supposed to... Read More
Every day I see in the financial section of newspapers... Read More
It has fallen upon the consumer to make our economy... Read More
Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. High and... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |