The I was dumb enough to look at my investments today support thread

[Da Klugs]

If you haven't.... just don't.

[markem]

You ain't kidding.

On the plus side, it may be a good time to up the periodic buying program.

[STEVE S]

don't look it is not for the weak of heart.

[OHMatt]

thanks Dave! I have been doing my best not to type Fideli$@.c#$; eek started doing it again! Must...Uninstall...financial.....apps!

I'm guessing my 401k is now a 100.25. :sl

[G G]

I don't have any investments, hahahahah oops wait that aint a good thing is it?

[cmitch]

I don't have any investments, hahahahah oops wait that aint a good thing is it?
You're probably like me, your investments go up in smoke EVERY day.

[Ashcan Bill]

The markets have been a house of cards for the last year. :2

But I see buying opportunities coming. :tu

[Smokin Gator]

Other than 401K stuff I got out of the market about six months ago. I wish you all the best!!!

[Ashcan Bill]

Other than 401K stuff I got out of the market about six months ago. I wish you all the best!!!

I beat you by six months. When market gains are based primarily on the G'mut keeping interest rates artificially low, and by running the presses so Wall St. has lots of cheap money, I get a tad nervous.

[Fordman4ever]

I keep looking, thinking that it will get better.......it never does. I don't know why I even look anymore.

[M1903A1]

What investments I do have, I pulled out of the market some time ago.

With the stock market numbers going up as the rest of the economic numbers have been heading in the other direction, I've been thinking for some time now that this market makes no sense.

[pektel]

I've only had an IRA for about a year. I'm just buying low right now. I think.
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[Cigarcop]

I figure in the end I'll owe them money!!

[Starscream]

I don't have any investments, hahahahah oops wait that aint a good thing is it?

Other than a small 403b, I don't have any either, Greg.

[Tio Gato]

It's all up from here!:garyHappy birthday everyone!

[jledou]

Interesting numbers - corporations turning profits, unemployment up, government broke someone is making money somewhere.

[G G]

When I get old and broke down, I'm gonna call rescue for the slightest thing and use the ER as my primary doctor. hahah, cause that's what I haul to the ER mostly on my job.

[Smokin Gator]

With the stock market numbers going up as the rest of the economic numbers have been heading in the other direction, I've been thinking for some time now that this market makes no sense.

Xactly:confused:

[GodOfFire]

Funny thread how I just got back from looking at an investment property. As far as stocks go lets just say I'm kicking butt and taking names the past few months investing in mining stocks ;).

[Devanmc]

You ain't kidding.

On the plus side, it may be a good time to up the periodic buying program.

im not expert but id hold off for it to stabilize, even on the extreme short term like tuesday.

[Da Klugs]

Good read below hope they are right. I felt better after reading it.

Dow Down 500, But Fundamentals Still Strong To view this article, Click Here <http://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2011/8/4/dow-down-500,-but-fundamentals-still-strong (http://www.ftportfolios.com/Commentary/EconomicResearch/2011/8/4/dow-down-500,-but-fundamentals-still-strong)>

Brian S. Wesbury - Chief Economist
Robert Stein, CFA - Senior Economist
Date: 8/4/2011

Major stock market indices are down 4-5% today as investors move into panic mode. There is no single piece of news driving the sell-off; rather the market seems to be gathering downward momentum on its own. Selling is creating more selling.

Like 1987, the sell-off does not appear to be driven by fundamental factors. In fact, the fundamentals suggest the market is undervalued and getting more so as it drops. Many investors assume (or wonder) if the sell-off is indicating deep economic problems. However, there is no evidence that this is true.

The Federal Reserve is still running a very accommodative monetary policy. Money supply data shows no contraction – M1 is up 13.8% and M2 is up 8.3% at an annual rate over the past thirteen weeks. The Fed is holding the funds rate near zero, while nominal GDP is rising near a 4% annual rate recently and “core” inflation is at 3%. In other words, interest rates are very low in comparison.

If you are worried about a cut in government spending – don’t be. Federal spending in 2011 is still rising and according to the OMB and CBO it will rise each and every year over the next 10 years. If you are worried about the size of government and think the budget deal was terrible – you shouldn’t. Supertanker America is turning and government spending as a share of GDP is scheduled to fall by about 2% of GDP over the next 10 years.

Corporate earnings are rising rapidly. According to Bob Carey, First Trust’s Chief Investment Officer, with about 80 companies left to report, S&P 500 earnings are up 20% over last year and the S&P 500 P-E ratio (on forward earnings) is roughly 12. The market is cheap.

Economic data are not tanking. Initial claims are at 400,000 (down from 478,000 at the end of April). Car and truck sales were up 6.9% in July (over June) and chain-store retail sales were up 4.6% in July (from last year) versus 2.8% year-over-year growth in July 2010. Taken together, retail sales appear to have increased by about 0.7% in July even though gasoline prices fell.

Yes, the ISM manufacturing index was just 50.9 in July, but that is the 24th consecutive month above 50 and is consistent with 2% or more real GDP growth. Finally, the ADP employment report showed 114,000 new private sector jobs in July, which was the 18th consecutive monthly gain. In other words, there is absolutely no evidence of a recession at this point.

This leaves us at perhaps the best explanation for the decline: European debt problems, specifically Italy. It is clear that hot money is moving as investors worry about money market funds and bank solvency. The euro is falling, European bond yields are rising, US Treasury yields are plummeting and gold is up. Italy says that it does not face imminent default, but the market acts as if it may.

European countries have spent themselves into a corner, but correcting this mistake will be good for long-term growth, not bad. While some financial institutions may take losses, government debt itself is water under the bridge. It’s a sunk cost. As a result, it has little effect on the economy unless losses create financial contagion. With mark-to-market accounting now fixed to allow cash flow to be used to value assets, the odds of contagion are minimized and the cost of immunizing America from contagion would be small when compared to 2008.

In the end, the sell-off looks as if it is more of a technical correction in the market, not a fundamental change in direction. This does not mean that it will end soon. Corrections run their course and then end. We wish we could trade each and every move in the market, but we can’t and we don’t know anyone who can. We are investors, and the market is more undervalued right now than it was when it opened for trading this morning.

[Silound]

Hello rental property....seems to be the only thing these days I can make money on after investing in.

[Angry_Pirate]

I feel the pain. Just gotta hang in for recovery.... Someday:confused:

[elderboy02]

Keep buying precious metals :tu

[longknocker]

I figure in the end I'll owe them money!!

:tu No Problem, I'll Just Never Retire. ;)

[longknocker]

Thanks For The Info, Dave; I Feel Better, Now! :) :tu

[Apoco]

"Never gamble with scared money" - That was the best advice dad ever gave me :)

PS - I lost a fair chunk yesterday. It sucks...but oh well
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[jledou]

Going downhill again today ...

[gettysburgfreak]

thankfully I'm on vacation until monday and refuse to look at anything work related until I get back.

[larryinlc]

Hang on to your portfolios on Monday. This latest news certainly won't help.

S&P Downgrades US Credit Rating to AA-Plus

[AD720]

How do you all think this will effect the real estate market (if it all)? Prices will drop further but rates will go up?

[larryinlc]

How do you all think this will effect the real estate market (if it all)? Prices will drop further but rates will go up?

From Money as to what happens to borrowing as it relates to the debt downgrade.....

The price of consumer credit would be pegged less to a Treasury downgrade than it would be to bond investors' overall confidence, says Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody's Analytics.

Because yields -- and corresponding interest rates -- move inversely to price, rates that track shorter-term Treasuries are more likely to see a bump.

Rates on car loans, which follow shorter-term rates like the two-year Treasury or LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate, could go up -- but not enough to really hit consumers, says Paul Cuevas, director of auto finance at J.D. Power & Associates.

Most mortgage rates, however, track the 10-year Treasury yield, which continues to fall. Adjustable rate mortgage holders could be slightly more vulnerable, because ARMs are typically tied to shorter-term interest rate movements, says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.

For students and parents who rely on private student loans, any jump in borrowing costs for lenders would be passed on to borrowers, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org and Fastweb.com. Federal student loan rates would remain fixed.

Credit card rates are pegged to the prime rate, which moves with the federal funds rate. If the prime rate goes up, consumers could be hit with credit card rate hikes, says Beverly Blair Harzog of Credit.com. Even if the rate doesn't go up, she says, card issuers spooked by a credit downgrade could raise your interest rates anywhere from 1% to 5% -- but only if you've had your card for more than a year.

[hotreds]

Yup- wait until Monday evening!

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JrPDLxSik-I/TilzqarR0uI/AAAAAAAAABs/ZLpo8bpFl90/s1600/shitstorm.jpg

[markem]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4hfdaC7eL4&sns=fb

[jledou]

Quick look the market stopped falling ... oh wait it just closed for the day ...

[Noodles]

At this rate, I will be working until I'm 90 or dead. Whichever comes first.

[Tio Gato]

Today was a real :gary. My finacial backside hurts. Maybe it's time to start investing in cigars. Oh wait, isn't that what we've all been doing?-(P

[WittyUserName]

It is taking everything I have to resist looking...

[BC-Axeman]

Bear market funds did really well today. All y'all got a lot of money in bear market funds, don'cha?

[Scottw]

I've been in cash for a while even in my IRA (money market acct). My pension is in company stock (blue chip, AAA rated, low volatility) and my 401 is pretty balanced. OK so far although, the cash will go to work a few months from now when the market bottoms.

[Tyler]

My father is a financial advisor in downtown Dallas. From what he is saying is that the media is hyping this up too much and that he had a conference call with JP Morgan this morning over how the market is actually up over the past two years. I am trying to find the credit ratings chart he showed me but essentially the media is only showing the first two ratings and by looking at the whole chart you can see that USA is still highly ranked compared to the majority of the rest of the world. AA still means very strong capacity to meet debts I believe whereas AAA means extremely strong. I need to get the charts and everything (if I am allowed to take pictures I will) but essentially the media is putting the scare on many Americans, particularly the elderly, and they are pulling out their money.

[Devanmc]

im just a college kid just starting to slightly understand the markets. but uhhhh what happened earlier today?

the entire world markets go down becuase of the US credit down grade but 10 year treasury bonds go up? this doesnt make any sense.

[MikeyC]

im just a college kid just starting to slightly understand the markets. but uhhhh what happened earlier today?

the entire world markets go down becuase of the US credit down grade but 10 year treasury bonds go up? this doesnt make any sense.

Ironically, most of the people who were selling off their stocks (which caused the huge point drop) then turned around and put their money in treasuries.

[hammondc]

Nikkei dropped below 9000 today (i think it closed just over 9k). It looks like another shitty day on the US market.

[wayner123]

LOL, I am always reminded of this episode when I see the stock market being talked about. Especially in the short term.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6xkxzjOW5M

[AD720]

http://brokershandsontheirfacesblog.tumblr.com/

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpo3svtgHI1qzr3qyo1_400.jpg