I'd say investing now would be a two-step process. The first is deciding to invest. As opposed to making a market call that the market is too expensive, or that it's time to batten down the hatches, go short, raise cash, etc. If somebody does have funds to invest and decides to invest, there seems to have been many stocks mentioned here (by me and by others), at least one or two of which ought to fit within every particular style and most people's circles of competence. That would be my opinion, but of course, I don't know anyone's particular circumstances or proclivities, or experience, so I could be quite wrong. Maybe other people's risk profile or style box is/are too circumscribed for them to be buying now. Time will tell whether there are good buys now still left in the market. Most stocks have moved up so I can understand anyone's reluctance to commit funds to specific stocks, especially if the person keeps a very concentrated portfolio.
As for me, so far this month, I have made purchases in 41 different companies, and sales in 19. And the month's not over -g-.
Five buys were made in a dividend reinvestment program:
finance.yahoo.com
Another 24 stock purchases were of stocks mentioned on this thread. (I might be off by one or two that I might've mentioned on other SI threads.)
finance.yahoo.com
I've made buys and sells of two stocks. I mentioned I sold some ANF, and I also recently said I bought back most shares. I purchased more SHRP, and then sold those shares on the company's positive news announcement.
The remaining ten stock buys I've not mentioned because they are either thinly-traded and I'm still building a position, or they're just outright speculations that I don't see any appropriate place to discuss and/or they're stocks I'm not sure how long I'm willing to make a commitment to. Two examples of the latter are ONT (speculation on enhanced versatile disk video compression that China will use) and speculation SRDX. (It makes the coating used on J&J's apparently problem stents.)
I closed OMX and RHT (received buyout offers); also for most shares of DRD. I took my lumps in GADZ, and closed that position. I gave up on ALO after the announcement of a lawsuit filing. (I might re-enter as I come to understand the situation.) I trimmed positions (just a little) in the following stocks (no particular order):
finance.yahoo.com
There was one sale made when I tried a short-term swing trade. Profitable for pizza money, but I'm embarrassed that I succumbed to temptation to try such a thing.
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I hope I never get the temptation or opportunity to invest 25% of my monies in one stock. I can't imagine why I'd want to do such a thing, other than greed.
I haven't a clue which stock in the universe of stocks is likely to be a double in 2004. My guess would be colored by my enthusiasm, and my enthusiasm is a function of my latest stock buys. I'll guess TSIC because it's among my latest buys, it's come down quickly to be a two-dollar stock (cigar butt?); it could pop in a January Effect; and it seems (but I have no facts to support this rubric) that it is sometimes "easier" for a $2 stock to go to $4, than for a $20 stock to get to $40. PERY (another marketer/manager of clothing brands) turned themselves around - maybe TSIC can too. Also, since we're not talking risk-adjusted return in this game, I can blithely skip over the possibility that the current stock valuation indicates TSIC might have a serious chance at self-destruction. |
