trader_murf

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    • Fri Nov 7th 11:12 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Portfolio Preservation in a Down Market
      I have been using DXD (about 10%) in my retirement IRA (stocks only, have another account mostly in cash right now in Vanguard so it isn't 10% of all my retirement funds) to have one green number when everything else is red and I have been really pleased and it is easy to use. I have taken some profits in that as well as SDS. Thanks for the idea of looking for the ETF's that short specific sectors. It will give me courage. I have been investing in individual stocks for 10 years but this market makes me feel like as soon as I put my toe in the water on a new investment - long or short - a quick bull or bear shark grabs it one way or the other!

      Also glad someone came out and said this diversification thing sure has had its limits this time around. Thanks.
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    • Tue Nov 4th 09:11 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      A Buy & Hold Forever Dividend Stock Portfolio
      Interesting article and I like and own some of your picks but there is no such thing as a buy and hold portfolio and open those mutual fund statements that was my mistake in the tech bust. Knowledge is power.
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    • Mon Oct 13th 14:05 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Biggest Gainers, Losers Since 9/29
      Buy and hold is bogus we are back to 1999 levels. I am down this year but far less than the averages because of watching stocks, taking profits and cutting losses. In retrospect I should have cut even more losses. The most frightening thing I am hearing in the media is just sit pat and hold, it will come back and even worse one so-called financial expert on TV advising to only looking at your 401K statements once or twice a year! I learned something from the tech crash. I am working on educating my friends who are now willing to pay attention about having some cash and at least knowing what you own and not to blindly trust so-called financial advisors.
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    • Thu Oct 2nd 10:08 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Not Just Oops: Concerns About Technical Glitches
      I noticed something similar at the very end of trading in PM on 9/29. I had an order in for 47 something that I put in at 3:45 which wasn't filled by the end of the day. When I checked my account several hours later the closing price was 46.80. There was something on the news about the big trading houses stepping in and taking up all the sell orders because there were no buyers. Okay I am a small buyer but I was a buyer and my order was never filled. Is this incompetence, a technical glitch or are us small investors collateral damage in the big gun games? Also all of this sounds possibly at worst illegal (altho what IS illegal these days?!?!) and at best unethical what can we do? Guess I should be grateful I wasn't on the wrong side of a worse trade but all of this really infuriates me.
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    • Sat Sep 20th 17:07 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Armageddon Postponed
      Past Tense and Pent Up Demand - got it right. History - the sun never sets on the British Empire. It could never happen to us and now here we are. I guess it can happen to us. Happy landings.
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    • Thu Sep 18th 10:12 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Which Company Should Replace AIG in the Dow?
      KFT who woulda thunk it. Don't get me wrong I have a position in it for no reason I can justify. Guess every dog has its day.
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    • Wed Sep 3rd 09:33 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Year to Date Performance of Dow 30 Members
      At the risk of stating the obvious what this interesting line up shows is that timing (and maybe more than a little bit of luck) is everything in this market. The reality is any one of these can have made or lost one money depending on entry point. It seems like trading on fundamentals is a far second to timing, psychology and luck. In this market I have bought positions that seem fundamentally sound and even with charts that look good that shift in days and have had to just dump them to cut losses, except for BA, ha, ha - see above. What is really bad cutting those losses on great stocks was still the right choice months later. I can only figure that eventually great values like XOM will come back into favor. In this market I am still buying but only very selectively and smaller amounts than usual. If something pops I will tend to sell and take a profit and hold nothing long term except several conservative dividend payors and for better or worse some Vanguard mutual funds for my IRA but that is another story...
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    • Mon Sep 1st 00:41 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Bracing for Another Round of Credit Related Woes
      Perhaps I digress a bit but here in Brooklyn at least where I live the prices on co-ops and houses still seem to be gaining value at an insane speed. I remember '89 and '90 in Brooklyn as well. I don't remember the term "short sale" but I do remember people turning in keys to co-ops with bad underlying fundamental mortgages and also people who had to sell taking a loss. I also was a dump newbie trader in 1998. All stocks come down. My point is, is it really possible to get through this credit mess and inflated housing prices (not to mention home equity loans, over extended credit cards, car loans, student loans, etc.) without the house of cards, so to speak collapsing in all areas to one extent or another? How can all of this be cleared out with foreclosures and excess inventory in Florida, California, Ohio, Nevada and even upstate New York but a housing tree grows to the sky in Brooklyn? I know they say all real estate is local but I just don't buy it, it reminds me of no not Cisco at 100, just hold on. I think to get this whole thing right more has to get shaken out. Judging from the recent sales around here get out the popcorn and crash helmets, sit back and watch the show. Or maybe snack on those ultra short etf's mentioned above.
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    • Fri Aug 8th 12:53 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Middle Class Retail Sales Point to Continued Weakness
      Love your article as always. Just a personal and not particularly researched comment about unemployment. The Feds approved a 13 week extension in UIB for anyone whose benefits expired before May 2007 and is currently unemployed. It seems to require state by state approval. The extension was approved here in NYS by Gov. Patterson for the week of July 13th I think it was. I looked at an article about the most recent unemployment stats and Alaska and RI approved the extension for the week of July 19th (?). Anyway the point is I think there is far more unemployment out there that will gradually show up in the numbers. I don't know if these 13 week extensions are considered "new" or "ongoing" claims. A 13 week extension can be a lifesaver but no replacement for employment. In any event none of this looks good for retailers or the economy. Also it is laughable that there are still politicians and pundits debating if there will be a recession.
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    • Sat Aug 2nd 18:01 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Starbucks on Sale (Part I)
      I want to believe in this stock, I really do. I gradually took a position earlier in the year and held it for a bit. I listened to Q2 conference call and it seemed more like motivational speaking from the late 1980's than anything solid to get the company back on track. I mean retrain the 20-somethings to pay attention to the customer and make a cup of coffee - duh. Then I was particularly disillusioned after being with 2 friends and not being able to get a seat in a SBUX in NYC. NO, it wasn't that the place was loaded with customers the tables were taken up with laptops, some empty beverage containers and at least one apparently homeless person. We went to a nearby SBUX about a block away. Counter service was okay, we were able to get seats but had to clear the dirty table we were finally able to get. The tables and floor were generally dirty, if there was any management there was no evidence of such. The final turning point was when SBUX was still hiring and an extremely competent, experienced but older (50's) friend of mind went on a cattle call interview. The interviewer was apparently clueless and when SBUX was hiring there was absolutely age bias against older workers. Well great, clueless motivational management, prejudice against hiring experienced workers, filthy tables, seats taken up with laptops and empty cups. I sold my entire position for a modest profit at $18.40. Hiring, firing, high prices, giving stuff away, this company doesn't know which end is up. I have not listened to the Q3 conference call. If this thing turns around I don't think it will be any time soon, rather I think it will be dead money especially in this economy. If I were in it I would definitely check the charts and see where support/resistance is. I haven't looked at it in a while but if there is nothing underneath I wouldn't hang around at this time.
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    • Thu Jul 24th 09:22 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News
      Yes I absolutely love the summary and read each day, thanks for the above comment to remind me to say thank you! It just puts everything together in one place. Great.
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    • Sat Jul 5th 19:27 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Big Lots, Wal-Mart and Costco: 3 Musketeers of the Pooring of America
      I have been looking at Costco here but it seems to have resistance somewhere between 74.47 and 75. Looks like it could go back to 70 or even 67.85 before going higher. I found the comment about increasing costs of Chinese imports interesting and something to consider. In any event I think it is time for me to get a membership to shop there even if I don't buy the stock. Thanks for the article.
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    • Sat Jul 5th 19:02 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      What Was Left Out of the Jobs Report
      Good analysis, what I have figured intuitively and from my experience. And hey, kmne68 guess you still have a job, don't need to watch dollars spent in the supermarket, were long oil, with impeccable timing in Ag and materials and are now short everything else! Well, duck and cover and good luck to all!
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    • Fri Jun 27th 09:58 AM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Three Reasons Boeing Looks Powerful
      I agree with analysis. Unfortunately when the stampede is under way it is tough to go against the crowd. Like fatcat above altho I started to scale in far below the top I've been thrown off horses less painful than this ride. But I think the thesis holds. The real key seems to be the price of oil, even a modest temporary pullback could give BA a nice bump enough to scale back position. I do miss the buy and hold and just pulling profits off stuff days!
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    • Mon Jun 16th 23:38 PM | Rating: 0 0
      Commented on:
      Why Today Is Different From the Inflationary 1970s
      Inflation? What inflation? Certain things are cheaper relatively speaking like electronics and clothing. A recent trip to Kohl's had many household items buy one get one free. I recently bought designer jeans for the same price as a roasting chicken. Only a slight exaggeration. Now if I could just eat the jeans... or run my car on the buy one get one free dish towels...
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