Market Volatility: How to Cope with the Stock Market Seesaw
Coping with Stock Market Volatility
Many investors are concerned with volatility in the stock market as this new year starts. They fear that their nest egg is going to be wiped out by the credit crunch, a troubled housing industry with suprime mortgage defaults and the potential for further difficulties for hedge funds, banks and financial service companies. There is no doubt that hedge fund trading adds to the market volatility.
Volatility and risk are two different things. It is worth making the difference between them. Volatility is characterized mostly by a security, commodity or market that rise and fall sharply within a short-term period. Now how about risk? It is the possibility of an investment losing value.
So if you are a mutual fund investor who is concerned about volatility in the stock market, here are a few things you can do to reduce the volatility of your portfolio.
1. Make sure there is a good line of communication between you and your financial adviser. Go ahead and meet with your financial adviser to re-examine your investment goals, risk tolerance and financial circumstances. Now that you are at the start of this new year, this is a good time to do it. Talk about any changes that may occur in your investments. If you have changed jobs or decided to take an early retirement, here is a good time to start talking about these topics. Ask yourself many other questions. Did you get married? Did you have a child or become a grandparent? Has there been a divorce? Is your son or daughter needing money for college? Does your investment mix still make sense or put you at ease or in sync with your goals?
If you are in a volatile market, you may want to re-examine your strategy, even though you might not want to make major moves. Have you considered buying more shares of your mutual funds when prices are down? Everything depends on your personal situation. Remember that you are in it for the long term. If nothing has changed, then it may be a good idea to change your financial plan. Many investors often feel a sense of panic when things are not going the way they expected them to. So they hurry to pull out. That is a major mistake. Patience is a virtue that needs to be practiced at this point. History shows that the market has recovered.
2. The other thing you should do is to diversify your nest eggs. The idea is to spread your risks by investing in a carefully selected mix of mutual funds that invest in stocks, bonds and money market instruments. It is good to have a mix of domestic, international and global funds. Keep in mind that in the past few years, international equity mutual funds have generally done fairly well or even better than U.S.-focused mutual funds. Discuss other risks such as currency fluctuations and different accounting standards.
3. Invest in volatile markets. The idea is that volatile markets do not have to be seen as something to be feared and stay away from. Investing at regular intervals helps you pick some good companies. You can buy more shares when the price is down. Buying good companies at lower prices through your mutual funds is the name of the game. Very few people will want to continue making investments when stock prices are declining and stock market news is negative.
4. During market volatility, make sure to invest for income. Count on the dividend when the stock price is going up or going down. Stocks that have a history of paying regular dividends have tended to fare well. The stock prices of the companies may be affected, but that does not mean these companies are faring poorly. Think about bonds and money market instruments which tend to produce a steady flow of interest payments. They can help cushion your portfolio during stock volatility. Now that you know how to manage your funds, take advantage of any combination of instruments that may help you make money.
http://microcreditcapital.com/financialmatters/marketwatch.html
http://microcreditcapital.com/financialmatters/marketwatch.html
http://microcreditcapital.com/financialmatters
Showing posts with label wall street investors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wall street investors. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Homeowners Used Home as ATM: Equity Loans Now Hasten Foreclosures From the Bay Area, the Central Valley of California etc
Homeowners Used Home as ATM: Equity Loans Now Hasten Foreclosures From the Bay Area, the Central Valley of California etc
Homeowners Used Home as ATM: Equity Loans Now Hasten Foreclosures From the Bay Area, the Central Valley of California to the Florida Coast.
How is it that some homeowners end up owing more than their home is worth? Well for the past few years starting in 2001 and ending in 2006, homes came to represent a new currency. If you had a home, you had cash. All it took was for the homeowners to get the home appraised and refinanced. The money they took out was ready to be spent on pricey, but sometimes unnecessary things such as one or two extra vehicles, toys and various other gadgets for the household. Those who had other sources of income ended up taking trips to the far corners of the earth. The surprising thing that happened is that banks and mortgage companies were ready to give credit. A home may be refinanced up to three times with no red flags being sent out. Now that credit is assessed closely, many of these people are left with no money. By then, the house values have greatly decreased. Homeowners are stuck. They can not refinance their homes because they end up owing more than the house is worth. Many homeowners just decide to walk away from the shell of the home. The equity is gone. The house only remains standing. And the wild grass continues to grow before it gets grown.
There is no doubt that rising home values from 2001 to 2006 caused many homeowners to launch themselves into this kind of exuberant lifestyles. The trips to Reno, casinos, Las Vegas and other fun destinations were numerous. All of this was being funded by money that was not truly there to be spent. With the tumbling of home values and sales, many families are waking up homeless and realize that the primary function of a house is to be a home, but not an ATM or mini-bank. From higher to lower income individuals, homeowners are being hurt. Those who got caught up in the subprime market end up suffering more. The question is what is more important: Is it the house or the expensive, unused toy? While the house is getting lost to foreclosure, the toys are being carted away into storage space, apartment or condo rentals. In the next few months, it is not unreasonable to see that the rental industry will be picking up quickly. As interest rates get adjusted more, more people will have to move out their homes. When it becomes impossible to use home equity to pay for monthly expenses, then some homeowners are really starting to see the core ideas of personal finance. The ideas of saving for hard times never come to them either.
Additional Links: Jimmy Kimmel and Fresno Firefighter / Sprinkler video Links
www.microcreditcapital.com
http://microcreditcapital.com/index3.html
Homeowners Used Home as ATM: Equity Loans Now Hasten Foreclosures From the Bay Area, the Central Valley of California to the Florida Coast.
How is it that some homeowners end up owing more than their home is worth? Well for the past few years starting in 2001 and ending in 2006, homes came to represent a new currency. If you had a home, you had cash. All it took was for the homeowners to get the home appraised and refinanced. The money they took out was ready to be spent on pricey, but sometimes unnecessary things such as one or two extra vehicles, toys and various other gadgets for the household. Those who had other sources of income ended up taking trips to the far corners of the earth. The surprising thing that happened is that banks and mortgage companies were ready to give credit. A home may be refinanced up to three times with no red flags being sent out. Now that credit is assessed closely, many of these people are left with no money. By then, the house values have greatly decreased. Homeowners are stuck. They can not refinance their homes because they end up owing more than the house is worth. Many homeowners just decide to walk away from the shell of the home. The equity is gone. The house only remains standing. And the wild grass continues to grow before it gets grown.
There is no doubt that rising home values from 2001 to 2006 caused many homeowners to launch themselves into this kind of exuberant lifestyles. The trips to Reno, casinos, Las Vegas and other fun destinations were numerous. All of this was being funded by money that was not truly there to be spent. With the tumbling of home values and sales, many families are waking up homeless and realize that the primary function of a house is to be a home, but not an ATM or mini-bank. From higher to lower income individuals, homeowners are being hurt. Those who got caught up in the subprime market end up suffering more. The question is what is more important: Is it the house or the expensive, unused toy? While the house is getting lost to foreclosure, the toys are being carted away into storage space, apartment or condo rentals. In the next few months, it is not unreasonable to see that the rental industry will be picking up quickly. As interest rates get adjusted more, more people will have to move out their homes. When it becomes impossible to use home equity to pay for monthly expenses, then some homeowners are really starting to see the core ideas of personal finance. The ideas of saving for hard times never come to them either.
Additional Links: Jimmy Kimmel and Fresno Firefighter / Sprinkler video Links
www.microcreditcapital.com
http://microcreditcapital.com/index3.html
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