To: James C. Mc Gowan who wrote (39472 ) 10/25/2000 9:34:12 AM From: JLS Read Replies (1) | Respond to This is an interesting situation we are faced with, that is the decision to be a trader or an investor. I believe one must draw a very sharp line between the two and not in this market environment let that division become blurred. I began to learn this in last spring's carnage. The street, and the intangible forces that make market activity, have induced a climate of extreme volatility. Everyone should look at a 10 year chart of the Nasdaq, and you will understand the kind of huge, excessive swings we have lived through this year. In comparison, the Octobers of '97 and '98 look like a cake walk, and that's no small feat. For myself, this market has not yet given me a reason to become an "investor" yet, and consequently I have found my optimal holding period to be about two days. It seems I take a hit whenever I hold for much longer and yes there is stuff in my port that is underwater because I attempted to bottomfish.
