How's that retirement penson going?

[stevewool]

I have always said cash is king to me , I have cash in so many accounts making very little but it’s safe for now , then I have my shares which I am withdrawing from since retiring that was going to last me until I start receiving my state pension , I must add there was enough in there to last a good few years more but now I have no idea until I look.

Funny thing is today I have a meeting with the financial man he wants to meet me and have been chasing me for a few weeks now , I am sure he would like me to invest more cash into his plans , but that’s not going to happen .

[Arizona Kid]

1 hour ago, OnMyWay said:

I took a huge hit yesterday.  I mentioned that I was down 5.5% last week.  Now it is 18%.  I did make a few buys yesterday but they are losers so far.

No worries.  I don't need that money any time soon and all of these investments are good dividends payers with good track records.  It may take a year or two or three, but they will come back.

I am so happy that I don't invest in the stock market. Way to confusing for my old brain.

[Dave Hounddriver]

6 hours ago, stevewool said:

I have always said cash is king to me

Cash is king but it does not generally keep up with inflation.  Many members have likely heard the old adage of keeping a balanced portfolio which includes a certain percentage of cash.  But why?  If my portfolio contains 15% cash is that supposed to be used in a bear market to buy more stocks or is that what you theoretically live on when your stocks have tanked?

[Mike J]

8 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Cash is king but it does not generally keep up with inflation.  Many members have likely heard the old adage of keeping a balanced portfolio which includes a certain percentage of cash.  But why?  If my portfolio contains 15% cash is that supposed to be used in a bear market to buy more stocks or is that what you theoretically live on when your stocks have tanked?

Most money managers will say the reason for the cash ( 5 to 15 %) is so you would not have to sell in a down market if you needed cash for an unexpected major expense.  Not really to buy more stock, but kind of safety margin.  And cash in a money market fund will pay more interest than a bank.

[hk blues]

I'm a cash is king kinda guy just like Steve. For many reasons I don't invest in the markets and instead prefer to stick my stash into the best bonds I can find with a couple of banks. I absolutely could have done better investing in other things, but I'm extremely conservative with my money. I just don't want the stress and hassle of it all apart from anything else. When you read that funds (some) are still not back to their pre-2008 levels it makes you wonder.

[Tommy T.]

News from today:

Stock markets are set for another week of turbulent trading as U.S. index futures fell sharply after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and more companies and governments took action over the weekend to shut down European and American society.

Stock markets are set for another week of turbulent trading as U.S. index futures fell sharply after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and more companies and governments took action over the weekend to shut down European and American society.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 5% Sunday night, triggering a halt in trading. The price of oil fell about 5% while gold gained about 2%.

Stocks are coming off a dizzying week that saw the Dow twice fall by more than 2,000 points and also record it's biggest point gain every — 1,985 points on Friday. The bull market that began in 2009 in the depths of the financial crisis came to an end. Europe markets suffered similarly sharp declines.

The Fed cut its key rate by a full percentage point — to a range between zero and 0.25% — and said it would keep it there until it feels confident that the economy can survive a sudden near-shutdown of economic activity in the United States. The surprise announcement signaled the Fed's concern that the viral outbreak will depress economic growth in coming months and that it is prepared to do whatever it can counter the risks.

The fact the Fed made its move before a meeting scheduled for mid-week indicated the Fed policymakers felt they needed to act immediately to shore up financial markets and investors' confidence. Although U.S. stocks did recoup some of last week's losses with a big rally on Friday, most market watchers expected to see more volatility ahead with the number of coronavirus cases still expected to rise in the U.S. and more industries facing a downturn in their business.

American Airlines said over the weekend that it was sharply cutting international flights. Walmart is limiting store hours to ensure they can keep sought-after items such as hand sanitizer in stock, while other retailers such as Urban Outfitters are closing stores altogether. Starbucks will prohibit customers from sitting down for coffee in its stores and will close some locations in large gathering places such as malls and campuses.

At the same time the U.S. and other countries further restricted travel and took other actions certain to curtail economic activity.

The U.S. has seen 61 deaths and more than 2,900 infections. In hard-hit Washington state, officials said the disease is straining the supply of protective gear available to medical providers. Italy, the worst-hit European country, reported its biggest day-to-day increase in infections — 3,590 more cases in a 24-hour period — for a total of almost 24,747.

Besides cutting rates, the Fed will buy at least $500 billion of Treasury securities and at least $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities. This amounts to an effort to ease market disruptions that have made it harder for banks and large investors to sell Treasuries as well as to keep longer-term rates borrowing rates down.

The magnitude of the central bank moves indicated to some analysts that Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other members of the Fed were worried about the health of the financial system.

“The Fed’s actions were very bold and it does appear to have spooked the markets,” said Nate Thooft, head of global asset allocation at Manulife Investment Management. “There was an expectation they would do something soon but this is a lot at once and it sends the message they are very worried about growth prospects and credit issues

[bastonjock]

Checked out my employers share price today , it has fallen from 1.44 to 0.88 in about a week 

Edited March 16, 2020 by bastonjock

[earthdome]

9 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

News from today:

Stock markets are set for another week of turbulent trading as U.S. index futures fell sharply after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and more companies and governments took action over the weekend to shut down European and American society.

Stock markets are set for another week of turbulent trading as U.S. index futures fell sharply after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates and more companies and governments took action over the weekend to shut down European and American society.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 5% Sunday night, triggering a halt in trading. The price of oil fell about 5% while gold gained about 2%.

Stocks are coming off a dizzying week that saw the Dow twice fall by more than 2,000 points and also record it's biggest point gain every — 1,985 points on Friday. The bull market that began in 2009 in the depths of the financial crisis came to an end. Europe markets suffered similarly sharp declines.

The Fed cut its key rate by a full percentage point — to a range between zero and 0.25% — and said it would keep it there until it feels confident that the economy can survive a sudden near-shutdown of economic activity in the United States. The surprise announcement signaled the Fed's concern that the viral outbreak will depress economic growth in coming months and that it is prepared to do whatever it can counter the risks.

The fact the Fed made its move before a meeting scheduled for mid-week indicated the Fed policymakers felt they needed to act immediately to shore up financial markets and investors' confidence. Although U.S. stocks did recoup some of last week's losses with a big rally on Friday, most market watchers expected to see more volatility ahead with the number of coronavirus cases still expected to rise in the U.S. and more industries facing a downturn in their business.

American Airlines said over the weekend that it was sharply cutting international flights. Walmart is limiting store hours to ensure they can keep sought-after items such as hand sanitizer in stock, while other retailers such as Urban Outfitters are closing stores altogether. Starbucks will prohibit customers from sitting down for coffee in its stores and will close some locations in large gathering places such as malls and campuses.

At the same time the U.S. and other countries further restricted travel and took other actions certain to curtail economic activity.

The U.S. has seen 61 deaths and more than 2,900 infections. In hard-hit Washington state, officials said the disease is straining the supply of protective gear available to medical providers. Italy, the worst-hit European country, reported its biggest day-to-day increase in infections — 3,590 more cases in a 24-hour period — for a total of almost 24,747.

Besides cutting rates, the Fed will buy at least $500 billion of Treasury securities and at least $200 billion of mortgage-backed securities. This amounts to an effort to ease market disruptions that have made it harder for banks and large investors to sell Treasuries as well as to keep longer-term rates borrowing rates down.

The magnitude of the central bank moves indicated to some analysts that Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other members of the Fed were worried about the health of the financial system.

“The Fed’s actions were very bold and it does appear to have spooked the markets,” said Nate Thooft, head of global asset allocation at Manulife Investment Management. “There was an expectation they would do something soon but this is a lot at once and it sends the message they are very worried about growth prospects and credit issues

Confirmed. US Markets down over 10% on open. Silver also is way down. Recently it reached $18, now trading down in the $12 range. Everything is getting hit as traders have to close positions to cover margins.

[stevewool]

Still not looking.

[GeoffH]

7 hours ago, earthdome said:

Confirmed. US Markets down over 10% on open. Silver also is way down. Recently it reached $18, now trading down in the $12 range. Everything is getting hit as traders have to close positions to cover margins.

 

Platinum is down about 25% on recent figures and even gold is down, and that's normally the 'safe haven' although it does seem to have stabilized for now at the lower number.  Australian markets are down more than 30% since the COVID-19 crisis started having effect and the Aussie dollar is at it's lowest for a long long time.