Ideal Investments for a Roller Coaster Market
Aug.16,2011The ideal investments for 2011 continue to change as the market evolves in response to macro-economic and political conditions in the USA and the rest of the world.
An educated investor can still “beat” the market in spite of its machinations and irrespective of what the “talking heads” on the T. V. seem to advise. But such lofty goals are made tricky as there are so many unique investing options.
Mutual Funds/Stock ETFs
Mutual Funds should typically be avoided. They are “managed” with the goal of beating market averages – but few succeed at this goal and the ones that do succeed rarely do so with consistency over time. ETFs are not managed and are usually based on the averages that Mutual Funds target. For example, making an investment in the SPY ETF provides instant diversification by exposing the investor to the S&P 500. ETFs usually have lower costs and are straightforward to sell and buy. Caution should be used when making an investment in stocks during downward cycles.
Gold/Silver
During market problems, Gold can frequently be apppealing and offer price appreciation when other investment classes are failing. Gold frequently performs best during high times of inflation. Silver frequently tracks with Gold although there are times when Silver outpaces Gold or when Gold outpaces Silver. The ETF that tracks Gold is GLD and the ETF that tracks Silver is SLV.
Real Estate
Real Estate is still maddening for investors. Traditionally property is categorized as a good investment when rents are higher than owning. But with uncertainty so high fewer potential investors feel comfortable in jumping in even with home prices as low as they are. A good option for taking part in Real Estate without owning it directly is to take a position in the IYR which is an ETF based on the Dow US Real-estate index.
Bonds
There are several different sorts of bonds one can invest in. Local, State, Federal, Corporate. U.S. Treasures are bonds sold by the Federal government and are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.. These are viewed as one of the safest sorts of investments in the world. Bonds work far differently than stocks and can be difficult to understand. There are many great ETFs including SHY, IEF, and TLT that provide investors exposure to bonds without the complexities of directly buying bonds. Bonds can be a good place to park capital in uncertain times.
Which is Right?
With so many different investments available, the “right” investment will depend greatly on your personal goals and your time-horizon for when you’ll need access to your money. With appropriate market timing information a savvy investor can modify their investments to meet current market conditions allowing the investor to maximize profits while managing risks.
Be cautious, any investment activity bears risk. Bubbles can take shape in any asset class and create turmoil. Always be alert and look out for changes in key economic conditions. When you see the need to change direction, do so with clarity and spare yourself from significant downdrafts in your portfolio size.
About the Writer
John Larsen is President and Chief Analyist of AmplifiedFinancial. For more insights on markets and economic conditions, please visit Point of View.
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