Markets are in bear territory.

[Merc]

Are you guys watching the stock markets these days? Most indexes are at or near their 52 week lows with no end in sight. There are not any places to hide except cash.

[Art]

Are you guys watching the stock markets these days? Most indexes are at or near their 52 week lows with no end in sight. There are not any places to hide except cash.

......and inflation is rapidly degrading that.

[Allen]

I am in the markets. I recently bought some stocks that looked to be in a "dip" mode based upon reality. After buying the stock it has since tanked every day. I'll be lucky if I can recover from this. And no, I didn't invest everything I had.

The Dow Jones Industrial Avg has been near 37,000 at it's height. Today it closed under 29,000.

[Merc]

I finally threw in the towel and recently converted the majority to cash to ride this bear market out after taking a big hit since January. It is currently the only safe haven. Premium money market funds are only currently paying around 2.8%. They have been adding 50 basis points (.5%) to the money market payout rate every time the Fed raises interest rates by 75 basis points (.75%) which has been occurring every 6 weeks. Expect the Fed to continue to raise interest rates until they match the current rate of inflation that is currently around 8%. Some bank CDs are paying higher rates as are longer term bonds. All stocks are vulnerable to this downturn with maybe the exception of energy stocks.

The Fidelity Energy Index has returned 35% so far this year but it is volatile.

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/FENY?p=FENY

You know there is trouble ahead when the short term treasuries rates are higher than the long term rates (inverted curve). The result of all this financial maneuvering will be a smaller economy with higher unemployment and a lower stock market (a recession). Buckle up guys. We have two more years of this administration to endure before things will start to improve. Just hope that there is another Ronald Reagan out there somewhere.

[Allen]

Just hope that there is another Ronald Reagan out there somewhere.

We all know of a couple but it's hard to get an elected candidate into office now. Presidents are "placed" into office, not elected.

[Vern Humphrey]

Everyone with a 401k should vote against Biden and the Democrats. We all got the Double Wammy. Thanks to the Democrats, the value of our stocks is down, AND the value of our dollars is down.

[Art]

The markets have never lost money long term (over 30 years.) In the Great Depression smart people who had any money left invested at least some of it in stocks at very, very favorable prices and if they were alive 15-20 years later were in tall, tall cotton.

Of course how many guys on this forum can count on 15-20 more years .

[Merc]

According to what I just read, infants who are born today can only expect to live for about 77 years. For those of us in our late 70s, me included, we have already exceeded todays life expectancy, so these are bonus years.

I invested carefully over the years and thought I did pretty well. Investing was made simple after Carter. Stocks were easy to pick because the economy grew each year. Even bond funds were making money. Times were good. We elected a business man to office and had the best economy ever. Then, to watch it evaporate before our eyes and because of the idiotic energy policies of this current administration was hard to swallow.

[togor]

Everyone with a 401k should vote against Biden and the Democrats. We all got the Double Wammy. Thanks to the Democrats, the value of our stocks is down, AND the value of our dollars is down.

Can't talk about #s without politicizing can you.

- - - Updated - - -

The markets have never lost money long term (over 30 years.) In the Great Depression smart people who had any money left invested at least some of it in stocks at very, very favorable prices and if they were alive 15-20 years later were in tall, tall cotton.

Of course how many guys on this forum can count on 15-20 more years .

I hope to but you know how it is

[dryheat]

But it's been a good run up until January. Nothing lasts forever. I doubled my tiny stock portfolio since the start of covid. It's more for entertainment than anything. Ten thousand is not a lot of money anymore.