Interesting paradox
from PPEN  
10/9/2008 9:46:05 AM

Rated:

 Seems like we all like to buy things when they are on sale. Fishing tackle, boats, food, clothing makes no difference. Why then is it that we don't like to buy stocks and mutual funds when the price is down. When the stock market tanks prices for equities are cheap. But do we buy? Most folks don't. Guess they want to wait untill everybody else is buying and the prices have gone up. Then we buy! Buy high. Sell low. What a concept!

Does this not strike you as strange? Or is it just me?

PPEN

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   Ppen from BassRabbit  10/9/2008 5:10:04 PM
 Dow down today 678, I'm glad I didn't get in yesterday..
I guess I'm waiting for the "dead cat bounce" when it hits the bottom,, JMO but it will be after Christmas, and the retailers report really low sales,,,,, Christmas sales will really be off this year... pulling the market lower still...... And it somewhat depends on the elections also..

In general I agree with buying low,, and intend on jumping back in.. And I know we can't time the markets......
For me it just doesn't feel right YET.........

   BassRabbit from PPEN  10/9/2008 10:56:46 PM
 Sounds like you are thinking the right thoughts. My timing skills are just about non-existant so I try to do a bit of dollar cost averaging by buying a bit periodically. With my timing abilities if I waited until after Christmas the market would have already moved up leaving me with cash and a lot of disappointment.

Good luck.

PPEN

   Timing the market from Kicknbass  10/12/2008 2:57:44 PM
 Buy low, sell high... right... but when is low ... low... well right now is the time to go to Ameritrade and put some money in... This gives you good web access... I have Portfolios of Oil, Computer Stocks like Goggle and Bidue (China's Goggle) (but just on PAPER CHARTS) and all of these are one share, the price and that gives you a chart..

You can do 50 stocks in a Portfolio and not have a dollar in any stock.. now you can pull up 50 charts at once all on one page... you can look at 1 day, 5 days, 1 month, 6 months etc... each day from the time you start shows which way those stocks you THINK are good are really moving.

What i am getting at here is each day you open these Portfolio's and see when the stock is low or at bottom.. Don't try and be the first in as soon as we have a positive day and the stock turns up.. look at the 50 day average.. it is a line of what the stock has done over the last 50 days.. all are going down now... then you look at the ONE week average.. when today goes up and crosses the 50 day .. that is buy a signal.. but not a RUSH IN WITH ALL MY MONEY SIGNAL... it just shows that it HAS hit bottom and now is doing better than in the last 50 average days.. so the stock is moving up.. that is what we want.. Heck General Motors went to $5.00 a share this week.. It can't get much cheaper.. But I won't put money in cars or houses right now.... but I would still wait until a stock not only started to move up.. but commits itself... then get in...

Rule number one in investment... "DO NOT TRY AND CATCH A FALLING KNIFE"... LET IT FALL.. then let it come back up and then get in, put in some stops to keep it from loosing ground and sit tight.. fools rush in.. the news will be all over TV if the market turns around.. then go to your Portfolio's and buy some BRAND names that have hit bottom and now the one week line has crossed the 50 day moving average line is on its way up..... Good luck.. Cosmic>

   listen to PPEN from MikeF  10/15/2008 3:18:58 PM
 If you're going to get back in the market you need to spread your investments over time. Unless you're privy to some insider info on a specific stock you'll lose your butt trying to time the market.