The markets took a big hit yesterday as the major indexes lost some 3%. That puts the S&P; 500 back to levels reached last at the beginning of December. Many buy and holders, who had counted on a continuation of the rebound, are certainly disappointed about the market direction so far this year. Sure, I’d be on edge too if …
Who Is To Blame?
Sure, after last year’s staggering losses, it’s only natural to see many investors on the prowl trying to find someone to blame for their life changing portfolio losses. If you were working with a broker or financial planner, and they advised you to hang on to your bullish investments while the trends changed to a bearish scenario, they certainly deserve …
Selling Is the Secret—Not Buying
Al Thomas, author of the well known book “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It,” wrote another interesting article this past weekend. Take a look:Every year in the last issue of Forbes, Fortune, Money, Kiplinger and countless other publications the magazine mavens predict the best performers for the coming year. It is almost a given they are always wrong. …
Some Get It—Some Don’t
MarketWatch reports that “Some stock-fund managers see cash as king:” While many mutual fund managers boldly charge into stocks regardless of market conditions, others have kept their powder dry by holding more in cash. For some of these managers, stashing cash has proved a valuable defense against the economic downturn. For others, boosting cash was a prudent decision at a …
Sunday Musings: Words Of Wisdom
I found this article written by Minyanville’s Peter almost exactly a year ago on January 8, 2008 titled “The Courage To Choose:” Having been asked to provide my thoughts regarding 2008, I am going to stray a little bit from my usual Buzz & Banter messages and share what I see as the most important theme for 2008 – making …
The Bottom Of The Barrel
The past year has shown that even professional money managers of mutual funds with an impeccable past record are not immune to failure. MarketWatch reported that “In a bad year, these funds were the worst:” Investors reeling from the 39% plunge of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index this year should console themselves that it could have been worse: three …