Very few people, even professionals, have heard of the Dalbar Study that originated in 1995. Its purpose is to determine the profitability of trading for the small investor of mutual funds. Their results are even worse than I thought.
The BuyNHolders will love the results as it "proves" that buying and holding is better than trying to switch to so-called "hot" funds. My readers know I think that mindless buy and hold is a guaranteed loser - and I can prove it.
During the greatest bull market of all time from 1984 to December 2002 the study came up with an annualized return of 2.57% compared to 12.22% for those who bought and held an S&P500 index fund. These dummies did not even keep up with inflation. The reason was they were switching from fund to fund after it had made its major move and they had no exit strategy if it did not make money.
I would guess it that they paid commissions which immediately put them in the hole. My recommendation is never to buy anything except a no-load mutual fund that does not have a redemption fee.
They also did not have a method to buy a fund with an excellent performance, but also had no plan as to when to sell. Every successful professional trader will tell you that you must have an exit plan as soon as any purchase is made. During any bull market there will be rotations among sectors. During periods of time, usually about 6 to 10 months, a particular sector will outperform all the others. For example, Asian funds might do well for 6 months and then fade, internet funds will do well for 10 months and then telecommunications will take the lead, and so forth.
A sector will do well and as more and more people find out about it the value of the stocks within that sector run to their valuation peak and go no further. That sector runs sideways or starts to fade.
Very few investors realize that mutual funds will only make money during a long term bull market. That bull ended in 2000. Going back in history as far as you want to you will find that every bull market has been followed by a bear market of equal length. During these bear periods there will be short-term opportunities to buy, but they must be held for only brief periods. The key to these is learning to time the market and pick the strongest sector funds. You can learn to do it on your own or subscribe to a proven timing service.
To me the Dalbar Study has proven that you (not your broker or financial planner) must learn market basics if you plan to profit from the stock market.
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
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com; 1-888-345-7870
whole house cleaning Deerfield ..Because you don't feel too sure about which stock or... Read More
A PEG ratio cannot be used alone but is a... Read More
One of the things people are always asking me is... Read More
I have a 2-car garage. There are nice shelves on... Read More
A few years back ? it seems like an eternity... Read More
Maximizing a stock market investmentThere are several factors an investor... Read More
Has your broker been calling you recently with the "great... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
How many people went to a cash position this week?... Read More
As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More
You probably have been told that options are risky. Even... Read More
Have you seen all those big full page ads for... Read More
We learnt the following the hard way! If any of... Read More
I use the P/E ratio as a secondary indicator for... Read More
An insane person cannot evaluate an insane evaluation system.As you... Read More
The gleam and bright lights of Wall Street lure in... Read More
Where is the beef? Or maybe it should be where... Read More
Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can... Read More
Are you attracted to the idea of being in control... Read More
The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More
Yesterday I received my monthly issue of MONEY magazine. This... Read More
Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index... Read More
Regardless of the fact that the world's stock markets have... Read More
The stock market has been in an up trend for... Read More
home cleaning services Des Plaines ..Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to... Read More
The broker told me not to sell because the mutual... Read More
Where is the beef? Or maybe it should be where... Read More
So you're started trading, you bought some positions with your... Read More
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's... Read More
The debate rages all over Eastern and Central Europe, in... Read More
One of the basic laws of physics is that a... Read More
TOO OFTEN, INVESTORS SIMPLY CHOOSE TO follow the crowd. This... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
On the 40 year journey through the turmoil of a... Read More
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a... Read More
If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then... Read More
For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More
How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I... Read More
One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
Dollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
I constantly hear the talking heads on CNBC-TV, the radio... Read More
There are red lights, green lights, blue lights and spot... Read More
The thinking process of the brain relating to the... Read More
The higher the market goes the more confusing are the... Read More
I have been trading for several decades and was an... Read More
Starbucks earnings are up again and so is their stock... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |