Avoid Making “Amateur Mistakes” in This Bull Market
by Robert Williams, Publisher
Friday, December 4, 2009
As I write this morning, the S&P 500 pushes toward another 52-week high. And I’m seeing a lot of bullish indicators hit the wire…
- U.S. employers cut the fewest number of jobs in November since the recession began more than a year ago. Payrolls fell by only 11,000 workers, trumping even the most optimistic forecasts.
- The jobless rate was expected to hold steady at around 10.2%. However, it surprisingly declined to 10%. (Hey, in this economy, that 0.2% means a lot!)
- U.S. factory orders notched its sixth gain in the past seven months, also surprising forecasters. The data gives bulls their proof that the manufacturing sector is beginning to emerge from the storm…
- Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) just raised $19.3 billion – at $15 a share – in the largest sale of stock by a U.S. public company since the dawn of the millennia. It’s been nearly 10 years since we’ve seen a successful sale of that magnitude.
On November 2, I explained that the economy would need to provide the impetus for stocks to continue their march higher, since most of the cash on the sidelines had found a home.
And that scenario is indeed playing out.
But as Marc Lichtenfeld explains, we’re collectively more bullish on stocks than we’ve been in two years. And the “best of breed” stocks have posted enormous gains since the March lows.
Given that, you should have a strategy in place to protect your gains. In fact, not doing so is one of the biggest mistakes novice investors make. Fortuitously, Marc’s got three ways to protect profits in his article.
Ahead of the tape,
Robert Williams
Related Investment U Articles:
- The Best Trade You Can Make in November
- Seven Signs This Bull Market Could Continue
- Potentially Make Money Despite Your Investing Mistakes
- China Attempts to Jump-Start Economic Growth
- Are These Five Mistakes Killing Your Investment Returns?
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In addition to once being a full-time trader of equities and equity derivatives, Robert Williams has served as the lead financial analyst for a Forbes top-50 private corporation and an analyst for the endowment of a major academic institution. He's also been profiled in such books as Trade with Passion and Purpose and Alexander Green's The Secret of Shelter Island. 
