Stock Indices

History has shown that investors who stick to disciplined, fundamental-focused strategies give themselves a good chance of beating the market over the long haul and James O’Shaughnessy has compiled data that stretches back to before the Great Depression...back-tested numerous strategies, and has come to some very intriguing conclusions. [Let me share some of them with you.] Words: 1325

Stocks and commodities are under pressure from the rising dollar. We have already seen a sizable pullback but there may be more to come in the next few trading sessions. While my negative view on stocks and precious metals will rub the gold and silver bugs the wrong way, I just want to point out what is unfolding so everyone sees both sides of the trade. Let’s take a look at some charts and dig right in. Words: 222

Next year is a Presidential election year, and the stock market is almost always positive in election years. Right? At least that assurance has been a supposed truism for many decades, and repeated as fact each year in numerous interviews and financial columns. [Let's explore just how correct those assumptions really are.] Words: 367

Should we jump into the market now? [Let's take a look at the 178 year history of the 4-year Presidential Cycles and the Decennial (10-year) Cycles and see what they suggest might well unfold in 2012.] Words: 1174

One of the hardest things for individual investors to do is to know when to sell a stock. Many times, you might sell simply because a stock has gone up and you've made some money. More often than not, though, this is not a great reason to sell [because, as mentioned in the title of this article,] you will never - ever - have a 10-bagger if you sell a stock after a 2-bagger. That being said, what things should one consider before selling? Words: 912

Rules may be meant to be broken, but with investing ignoring the rules can break you - especially now. Investment rules are tailor-made for tough times, allowing you to stick to a plan just when you need it most. Indeed, a rulebook is important in any market climate, but it tends to get tossed when stocks are soaring. That's why sage investors warn people not to confuse a bull market with brains. Here are 10 rules to survive this stormy stock market. Words: 769

I'm not going to candy coat it for you: making serious money in the stock market is a ton of hard work. It takes patience, savvy, and a certain level of market smarts - and the cold, hard truth is that if you don't have them, the big boys will drain your portfolio dry. Unfortunately, those are the three areas that most retail investors need to work on the most. Otherwise, they will simply end up in a cat-and-mouse game where they are the mice. Don't fool yourself for one second into believing that your "due diligence" can be done by watching a show or two on CNBC. It just doesn't work that way but if there is one voice from the markets that should grab your attention every time you hear it, it belongs to Dennis Gartman, founder and author of The Gartman Letter. He's sort of a guru's guru. [Here is] a glimpse into how he views and trades the markets. Words: 1061

Seasonality tells us that statistically the months from the end of October through the end of April are in fact the best months of the year for investing while the six months from May through October (the “sell in May and go away” strategy), are the worst but is there any validity to what’s sometimes known as “the Halloween indicator?” [Let's take a look.] Words: 460

There is more than enough reason to believe that U.S. stocks are in a bear market regardless of what percentage drop has taken place. [Let's take a look at stock momentum, various moving averages, volatility and certain technical indicators to see what they have to say in this regard.] Words: 700

Despite the outlook for relatively weak economic growth in the near future, the S&P 500... [should rise dramatically during the next 75 days] based on historical precedent – namely, the “Presidential Cycle.” [Let's take a look at the specifics.] Words: 405