The Get Irked Week in Review

Episode 18 – December 17-21, 2018


Before We Begin…

 

Before we get started, I wanted to write a quick note to all of my fellow investors. The market is terrible right now.

I’m not going to lie – it looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Economic news isn’t good. The government shutdown isn’t good. The U.S.-China Trade War shows no sign of stopping. The Federal Reserve seems to have blinders on to the weakness in the economy with plans to make it harder.

However, I do know this – it will get better. Maybe not next week. Maybe not next month. Maybe not even next year. But, it will get better.

What should we do?

You have to make your own choices that are best for you, of course (consult a professional financial adviser, as I’m not one), however my plan is to stay the course. I’ve sold the positions of companies I didn’t have faith in. The positions I hold are in companies with strong performance, balance sheets, and in many cases, also pay dividends.

The hardest part of the market for most investors is the unknown. It’s easy to look back at March 2009 and say, “that was the low – why didn’t more people buy then?”

This is called 20/20 hindsight.

When we’re in the thick of it like we are now, we don’t know if we’re headed lower. It can be tempting to take what you have and go to cash, but this is typically the wrong approach. In the current market conditions, the best time to go to cash was September.

Many positions I have are already oversold having taken the huge losses the last few months have dealt. Can they go lower? Absolutely. However, this could also be the bottom.

In times like these, I find it’s best to either not look at the market or to constantly remember that I’m not a day-trader. I’m not even a swing trader. I’m a long-term investor. My time horizon is 20+ years.

Stay the course. This too shall pass.

Now, on to our regularly scheduled programming…


In The Markets:

 

  • This week’s Fed Meeting brought almost the worst-case scenario. While many analysts were hoping the Fed would take a “one-and-done” approach by raising rates and then saying they would look at the data before making future decisions, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell raised rates and then said we should expect two rate hikes in 2019 (instead of three) but then went further to say the third would be pushed back to 2020. Many indicators are showing the economy is already weaker than we thought in October, and it appears as though the Fed is ignoring these signs. Recession next year is a very real possibility. The markets tanked.
  • President Trump’s disagreements with Congress shut down the government. Although, historically, government shutdowns are a buying opportunity, with the weakening economy and the trade war in China, as analysts hate saying, “This time is different.”

Get Irked Updates:

 


Trades in Play:

 

  • There was some definite action in our portfolios this week, however we’re headed into No Man’s Land. Although we’ve got buys scheduled, they’re at much lower levels. Unfortunately, it does look like we might hit them. Stay tuned to our Facebook page to see what happened and what our price targets are for the future.

 

Don't get mad, Get Irked and learn how to invest for yourself!

 

Disclaimer: Eric "Irk" Jacobson and all other Get Irked contributors are not investment or financial advisers. All strategies, trading ideas, and other information presented comes from non-professional, amateur investors and traders sharing techniques and ideas for general information purposes.

As always, all individuals should consult their financial advisers to determine if an investing idea is right for them. All investing comes with levels of risk with some ideas and strategies carrying more risk than others.

As an individual investor, you are accountable for assessing all risk to determine if the strategy or idea fits with your investment style. All information on Get Irked is presented for educational and informational purposes only.