At Runnymede, we believe in the famous Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared.” The Scout motto means that you are always ready to do what is necessary to help others. It also means you are ready, willing, and able to do what is necessary in any situation that comes along.
We find it odd that Wall Street has indoctrinated investors into believing that they shouldn’t be prepared (or take action) for market downturns. Just staying the course doesn’t work in all market scenarios.
With just 3 trading days left in 2014, it is time to look ahead to 2015. What do Wall Street strategists foresee for 2015 and should we even care?
Perhaps you are familiar with Philip Telock's landmark UC Berkeley study that looked at 82,000 predictions over 25 years by 300 leading economists. It turned out that their so called expert views were no better than random guesses, and worse, the more famous, the less accurate the prediction.
For many, Thanksgiving is about traditions. It's a time for traveling to spend time with family and friends. It's about sharing favorite recipes – turkey, stuffing, and grandma's famous pie. It's about community, gathering locally to watch a high school football game or watching a game huddled around the family TV. At our house growing up, my parents always hosted family as well as friends who did not have family nearby. We look forward to doing that again this year. Thanksgiving marks a return to a simpler time, providing temporary solace from a volatile world full of geopolitical risks, racial tensions and economic worry.
Today, I give thanks to friends, family, food, football and… yes, the US economy.
I am just a few days from heading home after a much needed vacation to the beautiful Riviera Maya. A visit to Cancun and Playa del Carmen can do wonders for your soul. Time to rest and relax with family – sip on frozen drinks and think about investing. So what lessons can be learned from my time at the beach? Here are the top 5 investing lessons from my vacation in Mexico.
The investment business can be funny. We all know that there are economic cycles and that the stock market goes through times of boom and bust. However, the conventional “”buy and hold”” approach says that you should not touch your portfolio regardless of what is going on in the world. You are encouraged to “”stay the course”” with no regard to asset protection.
Last December a chart began circulating among Wall Street trading desks that draws parallels between the stock market crash of 1929 and today. This chart is obviously frightening as the market fell over 40% in one month back in 1929.
Technician Tom DeMark first drew parallels with the 1928-1929 period last November. “Originally, I drew it for entertainment purposes only,” he said—but no longer: “Now it’s evolved into something more serious.” According to DeMark, if the S&P decisively brakes the 1762 level then a major bear market will have only just begun.