Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Real Estate, videos by mail

When I adjusted my portfolio I got out of the energy sector as it has lagged others. I do so at a time when I see suggestions to start getting overweight in energy. At some point I think energy will be a buy but I did not see it for now. It had underperformed everything else I was invested in. I bought more real estate in 401Ks and enjoyed watching IYR move more yesterday.

I have just a few stocks right now. The video by mail company had been looking good. I bought near the bottom of a pattern/channel/trendline when it was down, it then moved lower. Just a few days ago I got an email suggesting its better days have passed by. I have been printing charts of stocks I think could be big winners, maybe one a month. Well this stock had shown greatly increasing percent ownership by funds, and a larger number of funds owning it each month, including a chart I looked at just a few days ago. Well after the close last night I saw that these numbers are now SIGNIFICANTLY LESS, making it look like funds are getting out of this. So I have lost a lot of confidence in the stock. The close of yesterday makes it look like it will go up a bit this am, I think I will look to sell.

I am hurting in an oversubscribed issue novavax, sold half yesterday. The company story is great for the long term, I might sit with the rest for a bit. CNO has done well but I am changing how I do this.

I am more and more comfortable with the idea of ETF investing. Yes AIG, C, CNO are going to do well long term. But the pain of seeing account values go down is really incredible prior to some of the moves. In a way, I see that I will have a future with greater control over my finances when I quit work and have control over 401Ks. I need to trade bigger trends in less volatile issues. A mutual fund could work out well except one has to take end of day pricing. ETFs allow trades at the market at the time of the order while performing similar to a fund. I have lost a lot of benefit of compounding by overtrading. If I'd have traded more big picture moves like my 401Ks I would surely be a year closer to quitting work.

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