Thanks for the exact date. I think I still have post-traumatic stress from my investments in JDS Uniphase!!! (50 percent of my portfolio), EMC, Cisco, etc. I have never sold my JDS Uniphase. I bought in at $130 a share or so and I think right now it's under $10 / share. Too depressing to look even though I know I should sell it and move on; it's not like it's coming back to $130 any time soon (or ever!).
I'm just glad I'm still young. However, I lost so much in the market that I'm someone who will NEVER achieve a positive overall return (in the market) in their lifetime. I have a negative 88 percent return between March 2000 and present!
Before I first got involved in the stock market in March 2000, I was advised by my well-to-do colleagues that I shouldn't invest unless I'm prepared to lose 1/3 of my total investment. I could have handled losing 1/3 but 88 percent?!!!!! 9/10's???!!! I essentially was wiped out.
I'm not sure I really learned anything since now I think I have to be even more aggressive in order to get back to where I was in March 2000.
A lot of companies never come back. Maybe many don't ever go completely away, but once a company has broken out the bottom, it seems to stay broken out. Some stocks rise and fall with the general economy, but at some point they can break out the bottom and that's it. The few that do climb back take forever to do it. Something like Sears might come back, but then, it hasn't actually broken out the bottom.
Don't feel back, for I too feel your pain.
I remember day trading $200 a share stocks like it was nothing. Then one day while sitting at my computer, I said 'what the hell are you doing'.
I never lost any money trading stocks but got severely hurt in our mutual fund retirement accounts. You know the ones you paid $28 a share for that are now worth $13?
Damn you Prudential Investments! (Shakes Fist in Air).
I worry about these folks who invested heavily in Google. I have seen the down side and it is not pretty. Luckily my investments in real estate eclipsed my mutual funds.
If you remember anything about which I wrote today ---
Remember - P/E ratio. It is your friend.