Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's horsemen could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The Stock Market has had a great fall and all the brokers, CEOs, analysts and politicians have not been able to get it back up again.
Oh, it will go up again, but if history has a way of repeating it will be a long time before we see it at "even". From 1920 to the present there have been 3 major bull markets lasting close to 16 years. Unfortunately, each has been followed by a bear market of about the same length of time. So far we are ending the 3rd year of the projected down cycle with only 13 more years to get to the bottom. It is a long way off.
At a recent investment seminar one of the speakers asked his large audience if they believed the stock market would be higher 5 years from now. Every one except one thought it would be. The current mindset of most investors believes this also. For the period from 1982 to 2000 (18 years, close enough) there has been a bull market. Every investor has considered himself to be a financial genius during that time. There is an old saying, "The market makes fools of us all ? sooner or later".
Unless you learn to listen to what the market is saying and not your broker, you will be able to recoup some of your losses, but probably not all. During this long-term bear called a secular bear market, your main effort will not be to make money but to keep from losing more. During a bear market the one who loses the least is a winner. You may not like what I say, but history has that strange way of doing it over and over.
Maybe I am wrong about it because "this time it is different". I hope so, but you can protect your money in your 401K or elsewhere with a simple loss limit order. Call your broker and have him place a 10% (or whatever number your prefer) stop-loss order on all your positions. That way you don't guess about where to sell; you let the market tell you when it has turned weak.
Brokers and brokerage companies hate stop-loss orders and will try to talk you out of it. Ask him if he will guarantee your portfolio. You can bet he isn't that dumb. It is your money. Once it is gone you will have very little chance of getting it back. Protect what you have left.
Don't be a Humpty Dumpty!
Al Thomas
Author of "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!"
Never lose money in the stock market again.
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareThe fight continues to rage among traders who use technical... Read More
One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds... Read More
Have you seen all those big full page ads for... Read More
The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More
The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking... Read More
Cat or dog? Maybe Zebra. Shucks, I don't know, but... Read More
There are major differences between trading stocks and trading futures.... Read More
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
When will the stock market stop going down and start... Read More
A common problem I often see when working with living... Read More
For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
Every day I hear from the "experts" on CNBC-TV and... Read More
If you are a baby boomer, time is not on... Read More
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck... Read More
The trash business in its efforts to cook their books... Read More
A colleague of mine just returned from a scuba diving... Read More
Reach in your pocket and take out that big roll... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More
An insane person cannot evaluate an insane evaluation system.As you... Read More
Every day in any financial publication you will find the... Read More
One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More
Is really not as important as to how you invest... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..The Shadow knows. There used to be a radio program... Read More
Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More
After finding the price of a particular stock, usually the... Read More
Everyone who follows the financial news has heard of mutual... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More
Picking a beaten-down stock requires a different kind of selection... Read More
Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor.... Read More
∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More
Over the past few months, several investment professionals have brought... Read More
Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in... Read More
'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
Regardless of the fact that the world's stock markets have... Read More
You've decided to try your luck at trading stocks or... Read More
What is the Series 7 Exam? If you... Read More
Are hedge funds a suitable investment for you? Hedge funds... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More
Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell... Read More
When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |