Penforhire

Not to go too sideways, but not if one of our candidates gets too hawkish with Iran, Korea, and Russia...

Not talking about catching a bottom here. Talking about trying to miss big pain by scaling in (and out) widely. Hasn't the market already behaved worse than you expected? My point is I have no idea how bad it could get and unless you are in 100% cash you had no idea either.

PearlwhiteS2k

Nope, I'm actually quite in the market right now 85% Yes ur right the market has behaved worse than I expected but this just gives me a good time to buy solid companies at a major discount price.

Elistan

Back in Jan, I didn't like what I saw. My only involvement with investing is through my 401(k) which doesn't allow for making lots of changes all the time. So I moved everything from my various big/small/mid caps, growth funds, etc., and put it all in a few bond/fixed-income funds. The amount I lost in those first two weeks of 2008 is the same I've lost in the time since, so I'm pretty happy - would have been a lot worse otherwise.

But as stated above, you can never catch bottom, therefore all my ongoing 401k contributions have been to one of those targeted retirement funds. It's primarily stocks and such because I have a ways to go. It's gone down quite a lot since I started, but it's also standing in as the "buy low" portion of my investments right now.

Even if the DJIA does go up 2000 pts tomorrow, I'm still at least even for my money back in Jan, and I'm ahead for all my new contributions.

If I had a brokerage acct, I suspect I would have done the same. Moved everything into something safe back in Jan, and kept making small but regular contributions into various stocks and indexes. Sure, would have lost a lot since, but unless there's a complete meltdown of the economic system (ie, APPL going Chapter 11? Not likely IMO) I'd eventually make it all back, and then some.

Dropping a few grand on a stock one day because you think it'll go up the next day, then selling out because it instead dropped %10 is NOT the way to invest IMO. Buy when it goes down 10%, buy again when it goes down another 10%. (ASSUMING you think it'll ever go up. Buying for example Lehman Bros would have been bad no matter what the price point.)

(IOW, I would just invest to help with my retirement, not buy a Ferrari next year. The Ferrari method works for some people, but it's not for me.)

sahtt

The VIX hit 46. I bought a lot of stock today. Lowered my cost basis of AAPL into the teens, NOV into the mid 50's, RIG into low teens, ATVI under 15, etc.. Can't believe how many people were afraid to buy. What are you waiting for? AAPL to get to $15? You'll end up buying it right when I start taking profits.

I took half my EEV up near the high of the day for 40%, will keep the rest on as a hedge. Sold the rest of my SKF at 115 and at 117 when it failed to break through 120, it trades like garbage now and I have been wanting to get rid of it.

Anybody get a piece of that CEG trade? It's done it twice now. I didn't get filled and didn't chase in regrettably, friend got 30,000 shares in at 16$. Was down 75k at one point for about 20 seconds and ended up making real $$$ off of it.

lOOkatme

This is a good clip from 2006.


Interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU6PamCQ6zw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr9cY...eature=related

educate yourself.

PearlwhiteS2k

^
I agree with u Sahtt on this one. People are just getting way to scare to buy at low price and instead they rather buy it near 52 weeks high.

lOOkatme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoB4BS7CGAw

Funny clip!

Penforhire

Depending on your investing strategy, buying at 52 week highs is NOT a bad thing. That's one of the things done following Bill O'Neil's CAN-SLIM and he's no joke.

sahtt

The first 52 week high after breaking out from a double top etc., absolutely. Buying at 52 week highs that are 20% above the last 52 week high in a choppy and fragile market will have you seeing red more often then not. In a bull market, buying 52 week highs is a great way to get in a good company with an established out.

PearlwhiteS2k

That's if it's a bull market. I also believe Warren Buffet style of investing is a better idea for this type of market. Buy good solid stocks at a very discounted price, when everyone thinks the end of the world is around the corner.