U.S. stocks in free fall

Discuss all general (i.e. non-personal) investing questions and issues, investing news, and theory.
Locked
phish_indexer
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:08 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by phish_indexer »

livesoft wrote:
livesoft wrote:
The Wizard wrote:Are we even into RBD territory yet?
Today was an RBD for VWO unless perhaps it went ex-Dividend like EEM did today. Same for DGS, but surprisingly not for EWX.
Is anybody else enjoying the market run-up today especially in VWO? :)
Immensely, and in VEA to boot. I am actually a little overweight these two, according to my spreadsheet, as I have put a lot of my new IRA and taxable contributions towards them this year. I don't think I'm going to re-balance downward after this RGD, I'm not too out of whack. Enjoy the weekend, phriends.
hsv_climber
Posts: 3971
Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:56 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by hsv_climber »

livesoft wrote: Is anybody else enjoying the market run-up today especially in VWO? :)
No. Most of my 401K $$ are going to International funds today and there is nothing I can do about it...
DCA sucks :happy
hazlitt777
Posts: 1033
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:10 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by hazlitt777 »

This thread should be renamed, "US stocks on one heck of a rollercoaster"
floydtime
Posts: 413
Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:09 pm
Location: A book

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by floydtime »

I love this thread. It is an old friend. :beer
"Do not value money for any more nor any less than its worth; it is a good servant but a bad master" - Alexandre Dumas
umfundi
Posts: 3361
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:26 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by umfundi »

hazlitt777 wrote:This thread should be renamed, "US stocks on one heck of a rollercoaster"
You'll be able to tell your grandchildren, "I was an investor in 2012, and it was volatile both ways". :wink:

Keith
Déjà Vu is not a prediction
hazlitt777
Posts: 1033
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:10 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by hazlitt777 »

umfundi wrote:
hazlitt777 wrote:This thread should be renamed, "US stocks on one heck of a rollercoaster"
You'll be able to tell your grandchildren, "I was an investor in 2012, and it was volatile both ways". :wink:

Keith
I hope I have more meaningful and entertaining stories to tell them. This ride is making me nauseated;>)
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by HomerJ »

hazlitt777 wrote:
umfundi wrote:
hazlitt777 wrote:This thread should be renamed, "US stocks on one heck of a rollercoaster"
You'll be able to tell your grandchildren, "I was an investor in 2012, and it was volatile both ways". :wink:

Keith
I hope I have more meaningful and entertaining stories to tell them. This ride is making me nauseated;>)
Still, you better tell them about it...

Otherwise, when it happens to them, they'll be thinking "This time it's different!" when really.... it's never different.
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re:

Post by HomerJ »

Lbill wrote:Part of the problem is that I've waited too long to pull the trigger in the past and the *%$! market turns around and skips away. I remember starting to buy in 2009 when the S&P hit 666, thinking I'd edge in as it went lower. But it never did go lower and I never "edged in". That was my theory this time again, and the thing did a 180 and blasted back up - deju vu all over again. But maybe this time that was a fakeout and it will keep going down. Next stop for me is right about 900 on the S&P. I think Jeremy Grantham said it's worth about that at the present time.
This is why we don't market time.

We may indeed see 900 on the S&P500 again.

But we may not.

So far the market has gained 25% since this thread was started. While you waited for it to hit 900. That's a ton of money left behind.

Don't try to guess the future. Stay the course, and rebalance, reacting to the PAST, instead of acting on guesses about the future.
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: Re:

Post by The Wizard »

rrosenkoetter wrote: ...Don't try to guess the future. Stay the course, and rebalance, reacting to the PAST, instead of acting on guesses about the future.
Good points, rr, even if the market is doing another head-fake...
:)
Attempted new signature...
armeliusc
Posts: 549
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2011 8:40 am

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by armeliusc »

johnkidding wrote:
livesoft wrote:
livesoft wrote:
The Wizard wrote:Are we even into RBD territory yet?
Today was an RBD for VWO unless perhaps it went ex-Dividend like EEM did today. Same for DGS, but surprisingly not for EWX.
Is anybody else enjoying the market run-up today especially in VWO? :)
No. Most of my purchases are done on the first of the month. Seeing Run Ups a couple days before I buy makes me :-(
Same here. So what will you do ? Buy anyway (No market timing and all that ...) ?
User avatar
GregLee
Posts: 1748
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Waimanalo, HI

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by GregLee »

rrosenkoetter wrote:Don't try to guess the future. Stay the course, and rebalance, reacting to the PAST, instead of acting on guesses about the future.
Rebalancing is guessing about the future -- guessing that the securities you sold will go lower and the ones you bought will go higher. And the guess is based on the revert-to-the-mean theory that after securities have risen in price they are more likely to fall and after they have fallen, they are more likely to rise. Just because you have a formula to tell you what your guess will be, it doesn't mean you're not guessing. The blackjack player has his system, you have your system, and you can argue about which works better.
Greg, retired 8/10.
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by The Wizard »

GregLee wrote:
rrosenkoetter wrote:Don't try to guess the future. Stay the course, and rebalance, reacting to the PAST, instead of acting on guesses about the future.
Rebalancing is guessing about the future -- guessing that the securities you sold will go lower and the ones you bought will go higher. And the guess is based on the revert-to-the-mean theory that after securities have risen in price they are more likely to fall and after they have fallen, they are more likely to rise. Just because you have a formula to tell you what your guess will be, it doesn't mean you're not guessing. The blackjack player has his system, you have your system, and you can argue about which works better.
"Guessing" is an interesting verb, gerund, whatever.
But I'm not sure it's the right word-choice regarding AA definition and rebalancing.
We're implementing an "algorithm" to control risk and deal with things like psychology and loss-aversion.
Whatever we call it, it's good to be rich...
Attempted new signature...
User avatar
Taylor Larimore
Posts: 32842
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Miami FL

Rebalancing

Post by Taylor Larimore »

GregLee wrote: Rebalancing is guessing about the future -- guessing that the securities you sold will go lower and the ones you bought will go higher. And the guess is based on the revert-to-the-mean theory that after securities have risen in price they are more likely to fall and after they have fallen, they are more likely to rise. Just because you have a formula to tell you what your guess will be, it doesn't mean you're not guessing. The blackjack player has his system, you have your system, and you can argue about which works better.
Hi Greg:

Sorry, but it appears that you do not understand "rebalancing." Rebalancing has nothing to do with "guessing" which securities will go go lower or higher. "Rebalancing" is the process of returning underperforming or overperforming assets to their original target allocations. No guessing involved.

This link to our wiki may be helpful:

REBALANCING

Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
umfundi
Posts: 3361
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:26 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by umfundi »

By the way,

Stocks will fall on Monday or Tuesday.

Analysts will instantly explain (after the fact) that investors feel Friday's optimism about a Euro solution was overstated, and that they are being cautious heading into the mid-week 4th of July market closing.

You read it here first.

Keith
Last edited by umfundi on Fri Jun 29, 2012 7:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Déjà Vu is not a prediction
phish_indexer
Posts: 86
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 9:08 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by phish_indexer »

I always think of rebalancing as a way to control my risk profile, as opposed to potentially increasing my returns. It has nothing to do with mean reversion of the asset class, although that is a nice benefit if it occurs after I've re-balanced.
User avatar
zaboomafoozarg
Posts: 2431
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2011 12:34 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by zaboomafoozarg »

umfundi wrote:By the way,

Stocks will fall on Monday or Tuesday.

Analysts will instantly explain (after the fact) that investors feel Friday's optimism about a Euro solution was overstated, and that they are being cautious heading into the mid-week 4th of July market closing.

You read it here first.

Keith
Plus they're still down about 5-6% from 3 months ago. But we're in this for the long haul, amiright? :D
User avatar
GregLee
Posts: 1748
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Waimanalo, HI

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by GregLee »

The Wizard wrote: We're implementing an "algorithm" to control risk and deal with things like psychology and loss-aversion.
I see a fly crawling up the middle of my computer screen, and I make the rule that if the fly crawls to the left, I'll buy bonds today, otherwise I'll buy stocks. That's an algorithm, the fly controls my risk, it can't be affected by my mood or my aversion to loss. Of course, I'm not gambling, because I've got an algorithm to decide my wagers for me -- it's not me who's deciding. Is that like what you mean?
Greg, retired 8/10.
umfundi
Posts: 3361
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:26 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by umfundi »

phish_indexer wrote:I always think of rebalancing as a way to control my risk profile, as opposed to potentially increasing my returns. It has nothing to do with mean reversion of the asset class, although that is a nice benefit if it occurs after I've re-balanced.
Rebalancing follows naturally from the idea that you have an Asset Allocation, and that you are diversified into investments that are not well correlated.

Rebalancing does increase your return, by one or two tenths of a percent a year (My own calculations on the three-fund portfolio.*)

Criteria to time rebalancing (other than automatically) are, well, timing, and are gilding the pig. You may believe in momentum, or reversion to the mean, to create a rebalancing strategy that kicks in sooner, or perhaps later. It does not matter.

Of course, there are studies that show rebalancing reduces returns. If you do not rebalance, your portfolio will become tilted towards the higher returning investments, increasing your risk. No news there.

Best wishes,

Keith

* I calculated a constant monthly dollar amount invested in a reasonable mix of the three-fund portfolio over the last decade. Invest 40% US, 20% International, and 40% Bonds. If you invest to maintain your portfolio at those percentages (rather than just invest at those percentages) your return is enhanced by a couple of tenths of a percent per year.

I imagine that fine-tuning your rebalancing strategy beyond that is worth a few hundredths of a percent per year.
Déjà Vu is not a prediction
User avatar
LazyNihilist
Posts: 1005
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:56 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by LazyNihilist »

GregLee wrote:
The Wizard wrote: We're implementing an "algorithm" to control risk and deal with things like psychology and loss-aversion.
I see a fly crawling up the middle of my computer screen, and I make the rule that if the fly crawls to the left, I'll buy bonds today, otherwise I'll buy stocks. That's an algorithm, the fly controls my risk, it can't be affected by my mood or my aversion to loss. Of course, I'm not gambling, because I've got an algorithm to decide my wagers for me -- it's not me who's deciding. Is that like what you mean?
I guess some might believe there is a "rebalancing bonus". But the primary function of rebalancing is to maintain a constant risk profile of stocks to bonds.
Imagine if all the assets are in an IRA account, and put in a Target Retirement Fund that suits their risk profile, then the rebalancing is done by the fund itself daily. But many people have assets in non IRA accounts where holding TR funds is not tax-efficient and might need to rebalance manually. Rebalancing daily to your risk profile would be ideal, but not possible. This is where having a written IPS or algorithm of 'when' to rebalance and 'how' to rebalance helps. So we set bands and time limits on rebalancing. :happy
The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must -Thucydides
User avatar
GregLee
Posts: 1748
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 3:54 pm
Location: Waimanalo, HI

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by GregLee »

LazyNihilist wrote:But the primary function of rebalancing is to maintain a constant risk profile of stocks to bonds.
Yes, I understand that that is why you do it. That's what is going on in your head when you rebalance -- your intent is to manage your risk. But we might also be interested in the objective facts about your portfolio and the market. It's not all about your personal psychology.

Overall, I am quite puzzled by this psychological tendency in modern investing. To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
Greg, retired 8/10.
livesoft
Posts: 86076
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by livesoft »

I love fooling myself into making lots of money.
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
Ed 2
Posts: 2692
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 9:34 am

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Ed 2 »

livesoft wrote:I love fooling myself into making lots of money.
me too. :sharebeer
"The fund industry doesn't have a lot of heroes, but he (Bogle) is one of them," Russ Kinnel
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by HomerJ »

GregLee wrote:To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
No, it's not a bet... When I sell bonds to buy stocks, I am NOT betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise. Be reacting to the past, I am making no bet about the future. I am just selling my winners (selling high) and buying my losers (buying low).

The only bet I make is that I assume stocks and bonds will both rise over the long-term. But every time I rebalance, I'm making no short-term bets.
patrick
Posts: 2594
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:39 am
Location: Mega-City One

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by patrick »

GregLee wrote:Yes, I understand that that is why you do it. That's what is going on in your head when you rebalance -- your intent is to manage your risk. But we might also be interested in the objective facts about your portfolio and the market. It's not all about your personal psychology.

Overall, I am quite puzzled by this psychological tendency in modern investing. To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
The key objective fact about a portfolio is the overall asset allocation of the whole portfolio. As a somewhat extreme illustration, consider the following:

Imagine an investor named Alice, who originally put 99% of her money in stocks and 1% of her money in bonds. Then one day she sells a little bit of her stocks and buys bonds with the proceeds, and after doing so she has 98% of her money in stocks, and 2% of her money in bonds. Would it be fair to say that Alice is betting bonds will rise or stocks will fall because she sold stocks to buy bonds?

Now imagine another investor named Bob, who currently has the same amount of savings as Alice, but who started with 99% of his money in bonds and 1% of his money in stocks. Then on the very same day, he sells a little bit of his bonds and buys stocks with proceeds, and after doing so he now has 98% in bonds and 2% in stocks. Does this mean that Bob is betting stocks will rise or bonds will fall?

I would say that, if anything, it is Alice who is betting on stocks and Bob who is betting on bonds, since Alice has 49 times as much of her portfolio in stocks as Bob does. I'll also note that most of us are "betting" on stocks to the some extent, in that we consider that stocks probably have a higher expected return then bonds (though without much agreement on how much higher). If we didn't think so we'd have little if any stock investments since stocks are almost universally considered riskier than bonds (though without much agreement on how much riskier).

The rebalancer is merely moving the overall asset allocation (which is the key objective fact) back to what it originally was. Thus rebalancing is not making a bet, except to the extent that the original allocation was a bet, in which case the rebalancer is just sticking to the original bet.

Intent really only matters when you want to figure out if not rebalancing constitutes market timing. If you refrain from rebalancing because it's too much work to do so, because of transaction costs involved, or to avoid taxes, that isn't market timing since strategy doesn't involve a prediction about what the market will do at this time. However, if you avoid rebalancing because you think that the asset that recently went up has momentum behind it, that is market timing because it does involve such a prediction.
Xanadu
Posts: 256
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 8:50 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Xanadu »

umfundi wrote:By the way,

Stocks will fall on Monday or Tuesday.

Analysts will instantly explain (after the fact) that investors feel Friday's optimism about a Euro solution was overstated, and that they are being cautious heading into the mid-week 4th of July market closing.

You read it here first.

Keith


I will not be buying your newsletter, good sir. :wink:
umfundi
Posts: 3361
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:26 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by umfundi »

Xanadu wrote:
umfundi wrote:By the way,

Stocks will fall on Monday or Tuesday.

Analysts will instantly explain (after the fact) that investors feel Friday's optimism about a Euro solution was overstated, and that they are being cautious heading into the mid-week 4th of July market closing.

You read it here first.

Keith
I will not be buying your newsletter, good sir. :wink:
There is a better newsletter? :confused
I suppose I'll have to stick with my day job.

Or, let me say, that on Wednesday November 7, the market will be up or down because projections are the lame duck congress will / will not do something about renewing the Bush tax cuts or sequestration, automatic cuts to curtail spending.

(This is kind of easy. Do I really need that day job?)

Keith
Déjà Vu is not a prediction
leo383
Posts: 569
Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:36 pm
Location: Durham, NC

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by leo383 »

I'm bumping this thread in anticipation of the coming couple of weeks. :twisted:
umfundi
Posts: 3361
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:26 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by umfundi »

leo383 wrote:I'm bumping this thread in anticipation of the coming couple of weeks. :twisted:
You have a newsletter?

Keith
Déjà Vu is not a prediction
User avatar
Jay69
Posts: 1801
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:42 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Jay69 »

30 minutes into it on Monday and its down a tad, anybody want to guess where we are going today:)
"Out of clutter, find simplicity” Albert Einstein
Sidney
Posts: 6784
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:06 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Sidney »

Jay69 wrote:30 minutes into it on Monday and its down a tad, anybody want to guess where we are going today:)
I'm off to the library. Where are you going?
I always wanted to be a procrastinator.
User avatar
Jay69
Posts: 1801
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:42 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Jay69 »

Sidney wrote:
Jay69 wrote:30 minutes into it on Monday and its down a tad, anybody want to guess where we are going today:)
I'm off to the library. Where are you going?

Not sure but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn last night
"Out of clutter, find simplicity” Albert Einstein
letsgobobby
Posts: 12073
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:10 am

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by letsgobobby »

GregLee wrote:To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
Could not disagree more strongly with this sentiment.
User avatar
ofcmetz
Posts: 2465
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:09 pm
Location: Louisiana

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by ofcmetz »

letsgobobby wrote:
GregLee wrote:To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
Could not disagree more strongly with this sentiment.

Or maybe rebalancing is just a way of maintaining a constant asset allocation?

Some people do bet and market time or whatever you want to call it on an almost daily basis. This more like gambling like.

Oh and the market is going up down a littleish today.
Never underestimate the power of the force of low cost index funds.
YDNAL
Posts: 13774
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:04 pm
Location: Biscayne Bay

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by YDNAL »

GregLee wrote:
LazyNihilist wrote:But the primary function of rebalancing is to maintain a constant risk profile of stocks to bonds.
Yes, I understand that that is why you do it. That's what is going on in your head when you rebalance -- your intent is to manage your risk. But we might also be interested in the objective facts about your portfolio and the market. It's not all about your personal psychology.

Overall, I am quite puzzled by this psychological tendency in modern investing. To my mind, if you sell bonds and use the money to buy stocks, e.g., you are betting that either bonds will fall or stocks will rise, and it doesn't matter how you came to that decision. Maybe your AA-rebalancing algorithm told you to do that, or you used my fly-on-the-screen method, or your dead great grandfather spoke to you emphatically in a dream. A bet is a bet. People who think they are not gambling or speculating in the market because they have a system that tells them how to bet are just fooling themselves.
1. We project that Stocks and Bonds have risk - of varying degrees and types - and expect compensation for the risk without guarantees.
2. Otherwise, without expected compensation, NO ONE (yourself included) would invest in Stocks and Bonds.
3. Based on personal circumstances, we set boundaries to control the risk we knowingly take.

By investing in Stocks and Bonds, and/or in setting risk boundaries, investors attempt to make responsible decisions. Conversely, the use of buzz-words like "gambling, speculating, betting" implies irresponsible behavior, almost as IF promoting animosity.
Landy | Be yourself, everyone else is already taken -- Oscar Wilde
User avatar
papito23
Posts: 449
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 5:54 am

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by papito23 »

Gumby wrote:
India is where all the demographic growth is. But, will they be stable enough to prosper?

Image
How did we not notice this? It was so obvious. Architectural market timing and demographic predictive powers anyone?

Image

Oh, this is a thread about falling stocks. Ok, let's look back for the peak...

Oh my gawd... at this very minute the S&P just plummetted 210 points, >13%! (well, uh, the plummeting started Oct 12, '07, but that's like a millisecond in geological time!).
A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise. -Aldo Leopold's Golden Rule of Ecology
User avatar
Jay69
Posts: 1801
Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:42 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Jay69 »

Time to bump this, guess what, its down again. Not the best week in town.

I feel like a genius today, I been working on a IRA tranfer that got messed up, the funds got sold on the July 3rd, funds showed up today in my other account and by sure luck I'm picking up a percent or two. Out of the 6-7 past transfers I think this is the first time I hit it in the right direction.

So get set guys, I going to buy back in today, that means the next day it should drop a good 2-3%
"Out of clutter, find simplicity” Albert Einstein
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by HomerJ »

VTSAX (Total Stock Market Index Admiral) is up 26.7% since August, 8th 2011... the day this thread was started... one year ago.

26.7% in one year.

Yet this entire year, we've had a ton of gloom posts, people planning on 0% real going forward, and people not wanting to get into the stock market right now because "times are bad".

If 26.7% is just an abstract number to you, my 500k in stocks made me $133,000 these last 12 months Enough to pay off my mortgage, which I did. That is some serious money with a real beneficial impact on my family's life.

I sure am glad I didn't panic a year ago when I heard "U.S. stocks in freefall". Thanks Bogleheads
Last edited by HomerJ on Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
livesoft
Posts: 86076
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:00 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by livesoft »

^ That's the best kind of freefall, isn't it? :)
Wiki This signature message sponsored by sscritic: Learn to fish.
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52212
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by nisiprius »

livesoft wrote:^ That's the best kind of freefall, isn't it? :)
When Alex Rodiguez hits a home run, from the instant the ball leaves his bat it is, technically, in freefall, isn't it? :)
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
hazlitt777
Posts: 1033
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2011 4:10 am
Location: Wisconsin

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by hazlitt777 »

Stay diversified. Don't go all stocks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRPEC0F ... ploademail
User avatar
ddb
Posts: 5511
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:37 am
Location: American Gardens Building, West 81st St.

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by ddb »

HomerJ wrote:VTSAX (Total Stock Market Index Admiral) is up 26.7% since August, 8th 2011... the day this thread was started... one year ago.

26.7% in one year.

Yet this entire year, we've had a ton of gloom posts, people planning on 0% real going forward, and people not wanting to get into the stock market right now because "times are bad".

If 26.7% is just an abstract number to you, my 500k in stocks made me $133,000 these last 12 months Enough to pay off my mortgage, which I did. That is some serious money with a real beneficial impact on my family's life.

I sure am glad I didn't panic a year ago when I heard "U.S. stocks in freefall". Thanks Bogleheads
And to give a more global perspective, the Vanguard Total World Index (VT) is up about 15.6% over the same period. So, foreign stock ownership hurt returns, but a 15+% return for stocks in any one-year period is great nevertheless (IMO).

- DDB
"We have to encourage a return to traditional moral values. Most importantly, we have to promote general social concern, and less materialism in young people." - PB
FillorKill
Posts: 1007
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:01 am

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by FillorKill »

/////
Last edited by FillorKill on Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: CORRECTION

Post by HomerJ »

Taylor Larimore wrote:Homer wrote:
VTSAX (Total Stock Market Index Admiral) is up 26.7% since August, 8th 2011... the day this thread was started... one year ago.
Unfortunately, this appears to be a mistake. According to Morningstar, Total Stock Market Index Admiral (VTSAX) has a 1-year total return of 17.80%

http://quote.morningstar.com/fund/f.aspx?t=VTSAX

Best wishes.
Taylor
If you click on 1Y (one year), it shows $10,000 on 8/8/2011 is worth $12,671 today
User avatar
ddb
Posts: 5511
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:37 am
Location: American Gardens Building, West 81st St.

Re: CORRECTION

Post by ddb »

HomerJ wrote:
Taylor Larimore wrote:Homer wrote:
VTSAX (Total Stock Market Index Admiral) is up 26.7% since August, 8th 2011... the day this thread was started... one year ago.
Unfortunately, this appears to be a mistake. According to Morningstar, Total Stock Market Index Admiral (VTSAX) has a 1-year total return of 17.80%

http://quote.morningstar.com/fund/f.aspx?t=VTSAX

Best wishes.
Taylor
If you click on 1Y (one year), it shows $10,000 on 8/8/2011 is worth $12,671 today
I think the differences here have to do with including Monday August 8th performance or not. Vanguard Total Stock was down around 6.9% that day.

- DDB
"We have to encourage a return to traditional moral values. Most importantly, we have to promote general social concern, and less materialism in young people." - PB
User avatar
Oicuryy
Posts: 1959
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:29 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by Oicuryy »

HomerJ wrote:VTSAX (Total Stock Market Index Admiral) is up 26.7% since August, 8th 2011... the day this thread was started... one year ago.

26.7% in one year. 26.7% is incorrect--see my post below.-- Mod Taylor
Yahoo's adjusted closing price for VTSAX on Friday 8/5/11 is $29.40. The adjusted close for Monday 8/8/11 is $27.33. No doubt that 7% drop inspired the title of this thread.

The close for yesterday 8/6/12 is $34.63. That is a gain of 17.8% since 8/5/11 and 26.7% since 8/8/11. HomerJ is correct for the period he cited. There is no need for that edit in his post.

Ron
Money is fungible | Abbreviations and Acronyms
User avatar
Taylor Larimore
Posts: 32842
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Miami FL

26.7% or 7.41%

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Hi Ron:

Thank you for your post. Homer may be correct. I removed my edit.

Vanguard reports Total Stock Market Index Admiral as having a one-year return (7-31-12) of 7.41%.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/ ... tclass=stk

Best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by The Wizard »

Regardless, most folks did not buy into the total stock market in huge amounts on August 8th.
The bulk of their equity $$$ was there in July, 2011 as well.
So we're making out OK at this point, but the 26% gain number is just one of those volatility oddities.
It does help validate the principle of throwing additional funds into stocks on RBDs, obviously...
Last edited by The Wizard on Tue Aug 07, 2012 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Attempted new signature...
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: 26.7% or 7.41%

Post by HomerJ »

Taylor Larimore wrote:Hi Ron:

Thank you for your post. Homer may be correct. I removed my edit.

Vanguard reports Total Stock Market Index Admiral as having a one-year return (7-31-12) of 7.41%.

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/ ... tclass=stk

Best wishes.
Taylor
Wow, it's amazing what a difference a week makes. Shows how useless data-mining can be (and that includes my post above, where I also data-mined) :oops:
User avatar
HomerJ
Posts: 21281
Joined: Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:50 pm

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Post by HomerJ »

The Wizard wrote:Regardless, most folks did not buy into the total stock market in huge amounts on August 8th.
The bulk of their equity $$$ was there in July, 2011 as well.
So we're making out OK at this point, but the 26% gain number is just one of those volatility oddities.
It does help validate the principle of throwing additional funds into stocks on RBDs, obviously...
Yep, you're right... I may have made $133,000 since August 8th last year, but I'm not including the $70,000 I probably lost in the months before that.

I retract my snarky post. Still, it has been a fairly good 12 months for the stock market even with all gloom and doom around here.
User avatar
Taylor Larimore
Posts: 32842
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Location: Miami FL

Data-mining.

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Homer:
I retract my snarky post.
I don't read any of your posts as "snarky." This quote of yours taught us an important lesson:
Wow, it's amazing what a difference a week makes. Shows how useless data-mining can be.
Thank you and best wishes.
Taylor
"Simplicity is the master key to financial success." -- Jack Bogle
Locked