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Strategies & Market Trends : Trading SPY and DIA for Fun & Profit
SPY 679.96-1.1%4:00 PM EDT

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To: Dnorman who wrote (83)12/20/1998 2:34:00 AM
From: James F. Hopkins  Read Replies (1) of 130
 
Dnorman; I have bought both SPY and The MDY at times, and shorted
the SPY once, my trades cost $12. I have not hedged them yet as
that was mostly thinking out loud. Another way to do it is to
buy into a noload S&P index tracking fund, such as DSPIX,
( There are many more, and they also step right with the index )
With some of them I pay no load and no fee.
Also I can buy exact the dollar amount in an index fund
to balance a short on the MDY and I can margin.
-----------------
I just happen to have an old paper portfolio that goes back before the
July sell off to May 13th of this year. Now without touching it
in any way had I been long the S&P index via any of the funds,
and short the MDY the return would now be 11.48%..I know
that don't look like much but that's a hands off rip van winkel approch..it's a gain of 6.19% on the long and 5.29%
on the short.
I could have and in fact I did beat that, while I wasn't using the
long/short approach ; legging in and out. I think if I had I would
have done better yet.
---------------
Symbol Last Trade Org Trade Date Gain from 13-MAY
^SPX Dec 18 1188.03 13-May-98 $6.92 +6.18%
SPY Dec 18 118 1/2 13-May-98 $6.28 +5.60%
VFINX Dec 18 110.85 13-May-98 $6.85 +6.59%
DSPIX Dec 18 25.20 13-May-98 $5.88 +6.19%
MISAX Dec 18 15.65 13-May-98 $5.28 +5.96%
MUXAX Dec 18 25.36 13-May-98 $4.76 +4.92%
SCPIX Dec 18 15.90 13-May-98 $5.88 +6.57%
SINEX Dec 18 15.00 13-May-98 $5.76 +6.84%
PEOPX Dec 18 35.48 13-May-98 $6.78 +6.80%
^MID Dec 18 354.39 13-May-98 -$5.49 -4.91%
MDY Dec 18 68 13-May-98 -$3.80 -5.29%
PESPX Dec 18 27.42 13-May-98 -$5.24 -4.56%
^DJI Dec 18 8903.63 30-Jun-98 -$0.48 -0.54%
WDOWX Dec 18 8.90 30-Jun-98 -$0.50 -0.56%
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BTW PESPX is a no load MID cap tracking fund, and
WDOWX tracks the DOW30 ( very close )
Thing is I don't think I can short those funds, but I know I can
short the MDY..and on any substanual down turns it falls more
than the SPY or S&P500..
-------------
My thought is when in doubt be long one, short the other,
but leg out of one once your convinced of a trend.
The style gives you an edge. Even a hands off approach should
be good for an easy 10% a year no matter which way the market moves.
Jim

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