Posted on 08/10/2007 6:20:06 AM PDT by period end of story
So, how do investors protect themselves?
That question is surely on many minds after the recent series of triple-digit Dow Jones Industrials losses, culminating in yesterday's decline of 387.1 points.
"It's a wise man who does not venture all his eggs in one basket," the legendary battler of windmills, Don Quixote, was told by his trusty squire, Sancho Panza. Some pros suggest this comment aptly applies to investors with all-American portfolios. That, in turn, raises a knotty question: How much of a portfolio should be invested in overseas markets?
"In this market, you need a bulletproof vest, which is international diversification," Los Angeles money manager and day trader Arnold Silver, told me. "I tell my clients that 20% to 25% of their funds are going into foreign markets, that if they're going to have financial sex in this kind of volatile climate they need a condom."
That means, he said, a bigger representation of foreign stocks and active playing in emerging markets, particularly the world's four most exciting markets, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, known as the BRICs.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
I need a towel.
FID SOUTHEAST ASIA NAV $37.04 Change -$1.05
FIDELITY EMERG MRKTS NAV $29.47 Change -$1.02
MSI EMERGING MKTS B NAV $33.15 Change -$1.22
Dan Dorfman is still writing about this stuff?
I thought he was in jail.
Anyway, thoughtful investors need to have a portion of their funds invested overseas because of the dreadful value of the American dollar, and the new economic engines in the world - especially in China, India and elsewhere in Asia.
20% as an international allocation is a good number, but for those who are a bit fainter of heart, 10% would be more appropriate.
Every investor has separate goals, some want income, some want both growth and income, and others just growth.
Naturally, this kind of investing is for the long-term.
All will be well.
"Culminating" ? What makes this dorf think it's over???
Someone should forward this to Charlie Sheen.
I don’t think he has the time to read.
Good catch. I guess he thinks the market will bounce back today: it probably will.
Funny.
JBogle in his book Bogle on Mut Funds showed data on internatl
equities that indicated any out-return vs US equities was
attributable to sustained dollar weakness. When that was
removed, internatl equities underperformed their US
counterparts. Furthermore, over the 90s, a period that
was marked by relative dollar strength, superimposition
of the SPX over the MSCI EAFE resulted in virtual perfect
tracking save for the magnitudes. SPX outperformrd the
EAFE by a wide margin.
One can achieve the positive effects associated w/
diversification OUTSIDE the USD by sinply buying CDs
denominated in your fave currencies and underwritten by
your Uncle Sugar.
As the world’s economies become further intricately linked,
expect LESS covariance btw/ nations and not more. Once
covariance aqpproaches 1.00, you have lost the diversification
effect. And you embrace the risks assoc w/ overseas
securities esp amongst the emerging markets, ie, lack
of accuracvy in reporting, lack of property rights. etc.
The new mantra may be “When China sneezes, the world will catch cold.”
However, the old mantra is as valid as ever as evidenced by the
turmoil in world equity markets presumably due to credit issues
in the US: Where the US leads, the world will eventually follow.”
MV
Yeah, and you can buy bonds denominated in various currencies, too. But they can be difficult to buy and sell.
Check out Everbank. I believe they used to be Mark Twain
Bank of St Louis, MIZZOU.
They offer CDs denominated in the major currencies, eg,
yen, Euro, SwissFr, Britlb as well as ‘exotics’ including
but not limited to AussieD, NZD, CanD, etc. I also
think HKD and SingD as well as several non-Euro countries
like Norway etc. Yuan CDs may also be available.
They are easily bought & sold. And they are insured by
your Uncle Sugar!
MV
Well, DJIA is down 180 points at 11:00.
Either his prognosticator is miscalibrated, or he doesn't know what "culminate" means...
It finished with a 31 point drop, but managed to gain 0.4% for the week.
Prediction for the long-term: UP.
Prediction for the near future: UP and DOWN
But, what else is new.
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