I am hearing predictions by brokers, financial planners, talk show hosts and the talking heads on TV that the market is going back to its old highs - DOW 11,700 and NASDAQ 5000 here we come.
It seems to me that in 2000 I heard these same people saying there was no top to the market and were looking into their crystal balls for DOW 30,000 or some other fantastic number. Suddenly the market turned over with the DOW dropping 3,000 points and the NASDAQ losing 80% of its value. Can it happen again? I don't predict and all I can say is the market can do anything.
BUT what if it does turn down? Are you going to sit as you did before and watch your money disappear? Right now everything looks rosy and the momentum is carrying the indexes higher almost every day. Buy and hold is the right strategy.
Hind sight is always 20/20 and you will want to own stocks and mutual funds now, but not get caught in the next down draft. There will be one! There always has and you can see it clearly if you are a student of market history. Since 1900 there have been 16 to 18-year cycles of bull and bear markets and within those there have been other shorter cycles of ups and downs.
Many brokers and investors try to predict when those turns will occur and they are mostly wrong. It is definitely not a good idea to try to outguess the market. You must learn to read the rather obvious signs of the major turns. I say obvious, but it is clear they are not obvious to most brokers or financial planners. Having been a professional trader, exchange member and floor trader for many years I will tell you the obvious 'secret'.
Using a 200-day moving average of any one of the major indexes (I prefer the S&P500) you can plot these every day and when the index penetrates the 200-day line in an upward direction it is a signal to buy. That is where we are now. Inversely when it penetrates that line going down it is time to sell and put your money in cash or bonds. If you don't want to do the math computations there is an excellent chart in the Investor's Business Daily newspaper called their Mutual Fund Index that will do all the work for you.
It is nothing more complicated than that and you can go back into history as far as you wish and you will see it proven time after time. You are holding stocks or funds while the market is going up and you are in cash while it is going down. Don't be fooled by "research" or by any other complicated method. This works.
There is no need to predict the market. It will tell you in simple language what it is doing and whether you should be a buyer or seller.
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
maide service in Lincolnshire ..During our travel down life's path we come to many... Read More
How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I... Read More
TOO OFTEN, INVESTORS SIMPLY CHOOSE TO follow the crowd. This... Read More
I often play a little game with myself when I... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
As an investor you will want to check out any... Read More
If you are fed up with early redemption charges and... Read More
Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
The higher the market goes the more confusing are the... Read More
Congress recently passed another new law that is supposed to... 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
Today we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
There is so much involved in developing peak performance, that... Read More
You probably have been told that options are risky. Even... Read More
The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True,... Read More
In a previously written article, we expanded the use of... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More
Having lived aboard a sailboat for 2 years I was... Read More
When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
I know there are a lot of you out there... Read More
The gleam and bright lights of Wall Street lure in... Read More
cleaning lady near Deerfield ..There has been great condemnation recently because China has been... Read More
Should the market turn against you, it is important that... Read More
Where is the beef? Or maybe it should be where... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
From the book 'The Stockopoly Plan' by the author Charles... Read More
There is a current movie entitled "Eternal Sunshine of the... Read More
You have decided to buy some stock or mutual funds,... Read More
Cat or dog? Maybe Zebra. Shucks, I don't know, but... Read More
Let's first define insanity. It is doing the same thing... Read More
Now where have I heard that before? I know. It... Read More
Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More
What! Me worry?Many of you remember the cover of MAD... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More
Did you know you can make money (and a lot... Read More
The stock market has been going up for more than... Read More
One of the most believed bits of conventional wisdom from... Read More
Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More
Very few people, even professionals, have heard of the Dalbar... Read More
As a novice trader, you'll often feel the need to... Read More
I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and... Read More
Both the stock market and oil prices rallied recently, which... Read More
With an insecure job market, overworked employees, insufficient retirement savings... Read More
1. Do not spread your money too thin.My friend has... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |