In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at 3000 I wrote in this column that the NASDAQ Index would fall to 1500 and I got lots of heat for saying it. Microsoft had fallen from $129 to $60 per share. You know where they are today.
The talking heads on CNBC-TV and many of the radio stock experts are convinced we are headed back up as soon as this small "correction" is over ? and they could be right, but I seem to remember their former predictions just before the major stock indexes went over the edge of Financial Niagara Falls. Can it happen again since the market has fallen so far?
For a year the DOW has been creeping higher. The NASDAQ has gained back about 40%, but please remember the NASDAQ Index is not composed of the same stocks as it was 3 years ago and neither is the DOW. Many companies went bankrupt and others have been delisted because they do not meet the criteria to remain on the board.
Too many investors have not done their homework. Most of them only know the great bull market of 1982 to 2000. The same goes for brokers. Almost none have ever seen a bear market. I call the mutual fund managers 'children' because most of them were in diapers during the last bear of l972-74 and they discount the sudden break of 1987 as an aberration. What it amounts to is they have no idea of what to do when the brown stuff hits the fan.
It is a shame that brokers are not taught the basics of how to protect customers' money and same goes for mutual fund managers. Scores of mutual funds went out of business during the last break and others were absorbed by their big brothers in large fund families.
The market rarely crashes as it did in 1987 and usually erodes away as it did in 1972-74. Current investors have never been told about secular bull and secular bear markets that last about 16 to 18 years in each direction. During those down or at best sideways periods investors are happy to break even. This is a historical fact that you can check back for a hundred years.
If we are in this 16 years down that started in 2000 do you have a plan as to what to do to protect your financial well being? Most people don't and they refuse to accept the idea that anything like another loss of 80% can occur. Brokers don't have a plan. Fund managers don't have a plan. Do you have a plan? If you don't it is time to start thinking how you can protect what you have now. The most important thing about any investment is not to lose money.
The market today has the potential for another 2000 break. Now is the time to protect your investments. Get your stocks and mutual funds out and if you have any that have lost more than 10 or even 20% from their highest price it would be wise to sell them and remain in cash. NASDAQ 800 may not be far away.
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
Tinley Park executive chauffeured services .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareRecently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn... Read More
Every publicly traded company is required by the SEC(Securities and... Read More
Mutual funds and brokers are always preaching not to buy... Read More
The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More
One of the basic laws of physics states that a... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
What! Me worry?Many of you remember the cover of MAD... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
Let me start by saying that...Most online brokers do not... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and... Read More
The date October 13, 2000 will forever be embedded in... Read More
I would like to share with the reader an article... Read More
How do you invest? What do you really pay? At... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
In one of my previous articles (Investing in the stock... Read More
This is an extract of an article which was first... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
All of the talking heads have been telling us that... Read More
I am taking the time to help others learn the... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
For the last 12 years we have seen the Japanese... Read More
It seems that every day I turn on the TV... Read More
What are you thinking when it comes to your no... Read More
I often play a little game with myself when I... Read More
When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the... Read More
limo Chicago Hickory Hills ..Do you own any mutual funds? In an IRA or... Read More
The Shadow knows. Remember him? It seems a shadow has... Read More
Mutual funds were created with the idea that one person... Read More
Because there are so many stocks that are NOT paying... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
I continually hear from economists, talking heads, other market letter... Read More
The big bad bear is stirring again. So far he... Read More
Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More
On Monday, November 25, 2000 Investor's Business Daily listed on... Read More
According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More
Every day I hear someone on CNBC proclaim that "this... Read More
One of the things people are always asking me is... Read More
When most analysts, financial planners, fund specialists and investors try... Read More
Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
Stock trading remains a very competitive field and the stock... Read More
If you haven't heard of the technical indicator with the... Read More
Look back over the years and try to remember how... Read More
(1) Stock Market is Tough Place to Make Any Money... Read More
Has your broker been calling you recently with the "great... Read More
Everyone who invests in the stock market wants to be... Read More
You'd have had to be living on a desert island... Read More
With all the bad news that has been dumped upon... Read More
Two weeks ago I wrote about what the Securities and... Read More
When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |