Call the FTSE bottom for this year

[BlasterBates]

why? do you want them poor?

He advised everyone to sell in 2009.

The rest is history as they say....

[BlasterBates]

Looking at the person you are replying to I think I'll wait a while longer...

I fully agree, you should wait a month or two and wade in when it's all over.

I'm going in now though

[SantaClaus]

He advised everyone to sell in 2009.

The rest is history as they say....

If you base your investment decisions on CUK's general forum, more fool you.

[SimonMac]

... meanwhile I'm trying to persuade a family member to get his retirement savings out of Lloyds shares before its too late

Depends when he bought them, my average price for Lloyds is about 42p a share so I am still making money on it and the dividend based on purchase price gives a good yeild

[pjclarke]

Depends when he bought them, my average price for Lloyds is about 42p a share so I am still making money on it and the dividend based on purchase price gives a good yeild

Once you've purchased, the price at which you did so becomes irrelevant. Mind you, I'm in exactly the same boat vis-a-vis LLOY, got stung on the fall but stocked up on the rebound. LTBH.

Speaking of which, FTSE now headed back towards 6000, dead cat?

[SimonMac]

Once you've purchased, the price at which you did so becomes irrelevant. Mind you, I'm in exactly the same boat vis-a-vis LLOY, got stung on the fall but stocked up on the rebound. LTBH.

Speaking of which, FTSE now headed back towards 6000, dead cat?

It depends on your school of thought, current price is only important if you plan to sell the shares, although a cursory glance on the 11th of every month when my dividends are reinvested does no harm

[BlasterBates]

On the ticker, Daimler Chrysler is optimistic about sales in China, which sort of confirms this is more panic than sense.

Just to get a perspective China's growth has slowed to 6%.

We're not talking a recession.

[tomtomagain]

It is often portrayed that "The Market" is some sort of rational, thinking, sentient being and over the long term it probably is. In the short-term though it is a hysterical, over excitable teenage girl. Either bouncing around full of excitement ( Everyone loves me ) or full of despair ( Everyone hates me ).

• Tonight's news will be full of headlines about how $50 Trillion-zillion was wiped of the value of "leading companies"
• Talking heads will be on the TV pontificating about how they all knew this was going to happen.
• Tomorrows papers will be full of stories about the trauma inflicted on pensions.
• The Sunday papers will be full of stories about how nobody can afford to retire now.
• The web's forum's will be full of people discussing the end-of-capitalism and why the only solution is to switch to a Marxist society.
• The gold-bugs will be out in force .... It's all the fault of paper money. Shiny metal is the only solution. Fiat currency blah blah blah.
• People will be wringing their hands and worrying about too much debt. Too much pollution. Not enough manufacturing. Too much manufacturing.
• Maybe it's even the start of World War III!

But do you know what? I've been here before. Seen it. Done it. Got the T-Shirt. Don't care.

I'm not exiting the market. Nor am I topping up. I'll just keep running my strategy. A conservative 60/40 portfolio. 60% Shares. 40% Bonds. Majority of it in trackers. Shares split 40/30/20/10 - UK, USA, Europe, the rest.

Just keep calm and see how it all plays out.

[tomtomagain]

Oh and someone will blame "Short Sellers" or Hedge funds and call to have them banned.

They are always the pantomime baddies in these scenarios.

[SimonMac]

On the ticker, Daimler Chrysler is optimistic about sales in China, which sort of confirms this is more panic than sense.

Just to get a perspective China's growth has slowed to 6%.

We're not talking a recession.

The "official" figure is down to 6%, there is nothing to say the real figure is anything near this, also their target is 7.5% so worse than the analysts exepct