Hi All,

what are you doing these days?

I like mortgage REITs for their security (the assets are mostly government guaranteed agency bonds), double digit yields and tax advantage. Symbols are NLY ANH MFA CMO CYS AGNC (?) and the ETF REM, an I-Shares fund of 4 such REITs, dominated by NLY with 0.5% cost and the lowest yield in this group of 13.5% YTD the last quarter.

Sell call options for additional income.

You might also sell a put instead of just buying the underlying stock. Take MFA, sell the February $ 7.50 put and get a discount versus just buying the stock. If the stock rises above $ 7.50 you might not get the stock and just get to keep the small fee. Or if the price keeps falling, you still have to pay $ 7.50 per share. But if you had bought the stock it would also lose value...

Just to throw out some idea in these worrysome times.

closing, I want to warn bond investors. One guy recommends every human being to short Tresuries Source: www.seekingalpha.com

Chris

Hard to say where this is headed but flat is about as good as it will get for a while. Cash is king right now, I would be more of a buyer of puts than a seller, selling above the money calls is not a bad idea as long as you have the stock or put a buy order in if it goes to your strike price. The world is saddled with debt and until policy changes or huge job creation comes along markets are dead money at best. Eventually inflation will start killing everyone as well. It's not that it's so troubling it's just not a bull market nor is one in sight. The way to make money in these times is to be a technical day trader on the short side.

Hard to say where this is headed but flat is about as good as it will get for a while. Cash is king right now, I would be more of a buyer of puts than a seller, selling above the money calls is not a bad idea as long as you have the stock or put a buy order in if it goes to your strike price. The world is saddled with debt and until policy changes or huge job creation comes along markets are dead money at best. Eventually inflation will start killing everyone as well. It's not that it's so troubling it's just not a bull market nor is one in sight. The way to make money in these times is to be a technical day trader on the short side.

Agreed on the technical day trader thing...my policy now on the SET is to sell as soon as i hit 5%..then take my profit and buy into one of the other stocks in my top 10 watch list . Mind you only one of my stocks increased by 5% in last 3 week period - PTTCH

I have cashed out my US stocks, taking a loss, but will reinvest one the current market correction is over and i hope to pick up a few bargains (chance would be a fine thing).

Hard to say where this is headed but flat is about as good as it will get for a while. Cash is king right now, I would be more of a buyer of puts than a seller, selling above the money calls is not a bad idea as long as you have the stock or put a buy order in if it goes to your strike price. The world is saddled with debt and until policy changes or huge job creation comes along markets are dead money at best. Eventually inflation will start killing everyone as well. It's not that it's so troubling it's just not a bull market nor is one in sight. The way to make money in these times is to be a technical day trader on the short side.

I agree, but being long USD is not a bad position IMO

I agree, but being long USD is not a bad position IMO

Orion, I disagree wholeheartedly. The FED is hel_l bent on keeping rates insanely low. Add politics (November elections) and the budget projections and the result is clear. AAA rating under threat and The dollar bound to fall further.

I'm often wrong, but explain why the Aussie $ should not rise dramatically given the scenario in Australia.

And I do consider key players to be liars - "25% unemployment" if they hadn't bailed out AIG's counter parties, paying 100% on these CDS? All this after the government already stood behing AIG?

check this out: http://www.doctorhousingbubble.com/

Chris

Chris, those issues are irrelevant to a "technical day trader".

What may happen tomorrow has no bearing on how many pips you may profit in the next hour.