by Outcast_Searcher » Thu 14 Jan 2016, 16:34:23
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('EdwinSm', 'I') sold (early January - before this thread), but I need the money in the next six months, which in my opinion is too short a time for a rebound.
Making short term bets (roughly, under a few years) in the stock markets is speculation, not prudent investing. If you need the money within six months, the stock market is the wrong place for it, whatever your opinion on stocks may be.
(If the investment gurus, newsletter writers, technicians, yadda, yadda, could call the market accurately enough to meaningfully "beat" it -- they'd be living large instead of hawking their wonderful "advice" and sitting under the hot lights at places like the CNBC studios, to pay their rent).
Oh, and if active mutual fund managers could beat the market, then broad index funds that just sit there zen-like (i.e. being the market) wouldn't beat such managers (and their higher expense ratios) over 80% of the time. (Citation - Vanguard's Jack Bogle, and various white papers and books he's written. Same concept, different words (citing "helpers"), Warren Buffett).
Same with the supposed gurus running hedge funds. They mostly get outsized gains by taking big risks for several years (instead of anything like a true market neutral hedging strategy). Then at some point, they "blow up" the fund, close it, and distribute the remaining dregs (big losses) to the investors. And oh yes, they KEEP all the big fees. And then in a few months or years, they start up another hedge fund. Great business if the sheep need a shave.
My cynicism stems from watching and learning from the markets for 35+ years now, and watching the same stuff go on, but with different names. (For example, high fee long/short leveraged ETF's anyone?)

Given the track record of the perma-doomer blogs, I wouldn't bet a fast crash doomer's money on their predictions.