Yesterday, the markets only looked up and disregarded any negative or questionable news while the Dow powered higher by some 214 points. All major averages followed suit, and the S&P; 500 managed to wipe out its year-to-date loss by moving into positive territory, although by only a scant +0.47%. Our hedges advanced nicely on yesterday’s rally, and our Trend Tracking …
Sell In May?
Todd Harrison offered some interesting thoughts in a recent article titled “Sell in May and go away?” Here are some highlights: We asked last year whether we should sell in May and go away following the spirited sprint off the March lows. In the 12 months that followed, the S&P; was sliced in half as a confluence of negatives combined …
Sunday Musings: Double Stimulation
My wife Terri, who is an accountant, pointed to an article titled “Taxpayers to get rude surpise,” which addresses President Obama’s tax credit. Here are some important highlights: Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama’s “Making Work Pay” tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring. The government is going to want some of …
Advisors Ditch Buy and Hold
Hat tip to Random Roger for pointing to an article in the WSJ called “Advisors Ditch ‘Buy and Hold’ For New Tactics:” The broad decline across financial markets in the past year has persuaded a small but growing number of financial advisers to abandon the traditional buy-and-hold strategy — which emphasizes long-term investing in a mix of assets — for …
No Load Fund/ETF Tracker updated through 4/30/2009
My latest No Load Fund/ETF Tracker has been posted at:http://www.successful-investment.com/newsletter-archive.phpOne strong up day was all it took for the major indexes to close on a winning note again. Our Trend Tracking Index (TTI) for domestic funds/ETFs remains below its trend line (red) by -2.50% thereby confirming the current bear market trend. The international index now remains -2.39% below its own …
Saying the Right Things
The Fed decided yesterday to leave interest rates unchanged (no surprise), since the economy is so weak and fragile, that inflationary pressures are not a concern at this time. Along with a hint that consumers may be starting to spend again was all the confirmation investors needed to pull the market out of a 2-day slump. The S&P; 500 managed …