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For those in cash, when do you plan on investing?

#1
Over the last month I tried riding the bounce and through Dollar Cost Averaging made 1%. I am up 3% for the year.
 
Now I am all in cash and wondering when to get back in.
 
Not having a 25bps raise worries me since the market doesn't like uncertainty.
 
I am looking for Dow around its recent low of 15,666 as an entry point. Perhaps in the 15,700 to 15,800 range.
 
Anyone have any other thoughts on when to commit again?
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#2
I remain about 50% in cash/fixed income. If the market falls enough I will buy more equities. If the market rises enough, I will sell some.

I think you have a bit of a dilemma in that you need to pick the right time to get back in and perhaps run the risk of waiting too long and having the market get away from you.

That said, I do think the market may possibly retest the recent lows sometime before year-end. (But I am not acting on that by selling anything I now own).
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#3
I'm only about 10 percent in cash, but am keeping an eye on stocks I own and might like more of at the right price, like SLB, near a one-year low, but a well-managed company in my opinion. Might buy a little bit more next week...Visa is another, though it hasn't been hit too hard lately. Below 70 I may buy more.

For reference, the 10 percent cash covers 4 yrs of expenses, with another year's backup in US Bonds, and a bit more in bank savings.

Oh, yeah; forgot to mention another on my watch list - Ford, now trading at an very low P/E...around 6, but with good sales and earnings prospects. Dividend around 4 percent. I bought it during the melt-down in 2008-9, for as low as $2.50/share. Good return even at today's depressed price. It won't go down to that level again soon, but looks like a bargain now at less than $14.
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#4
TOTALLY agree. Too many investors ignore the long-proven companies that pay you a GREAT return while you wait for the right sell price. I own a 1,000 shares too and will hold them until the market figures out that Ford makes a huge profit and Tesla will never ever turn a true profit; or at least they will never make a profit where over $200 a share makes any sense at all. True, a lot of people have made money playing Tesla's roller coaster, but like all momentum stocks with no underlying fundamentals, eventually, tons of people will be left holding the bag when it tumbles. I don't like that risk. Granted, I've only made a total of 50% return over the last 2-1/2 years, but I did it with very low risk and that's where I am comfortable. Ford is greatly undervalued and too many people underestimate the loyalty of customers to certain brands like them and Apple.
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#5
TomTX: yeah, F has been good. I hold over 6,800 shares and do the DRIP thing. I don't know how long the good times will last, but September sales were great and new products look promising (and the VW debacle can't hurt). So I'm riddin' it out. Maybe take some profits at some point, but no need to act short-term, in my view. I agree with you about Tesla...no profits, only promise and possibility. Sexy cars...but people can't buy the next one like I-Phones.
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#6
The uncertainty of what the Fed will do, will continue to keep some pressure on stocks. I would not make a substantial investment in long stock, until the Fed has at least one interest rate increase.
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#7
I went to 50% cash several months ago and am down more than I care to admit on the more or less broad market etf's in my portfolio. If anyone tried to tell me the market is anything less than dysfunctional at this time, we'd have to agree to disagree. I will keep that ratio in cash for a bit.
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#8
The best timing to get in/or add for me is when the market lifts out of a support area and the stocks I am interested in is also moving with that. It's best to have a way of determining when that happens technically that you can have confidence in. If your longer term that might be on the weekly charts or the daily if your intermediate; smaller for swing/shorter trades.  I view the market itself as a better measure that others opinions and most indicators as they are all made of price and volume anyway and all based on history no matter how long or recent. There is no indicator that includes the future so its' all about probabilities using the past and choosing your entries.  No amount of rosy fundamentals is a reason to act until it is evident that big money is actually buying.
 
September has historically been a troubled month more often than others and October has been the month things start to come back more often than others in many years, but no certainly exists. In a big way these are unchartered times with the Feds QE and all that has gone on which adds to the fray. And volatility seems to just run roughshod over some set ups.
 
FWIW: Traders Almanac has triggered their seasonality system as of today and recommended to those that follow that it is time. They closed all their remaining shorts and are now long today. It of course is one thing and you want several things to help you come to a conclusion and always an area where you will get back out should it not work out to protect from any big costly disappointment.  It was interesting to me they called it after several days up approaching some resistance.
 
One should have a plan to fit time horizons and temperament with rules and trade within that to avoid the emotional peaks and valleys that are common to humans..    
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#9
I can't imagine sitting still on an all cash position or with a high percentage of a portfolio in cash. Given these current market conditions, our investments are mostly in large cap blue chip stocks that pay decent dividends. My favorite example: $VZ and $T are currently yielding over 5% and, despite the phone carrier wars, cash flow seems more than adequate to sustain dividends. My methodology isn't very exciting, but the volatility is low and, for me, it beats the <1% offered by banks and the like. I continue to look for opportunities elsewhere, but I'm under no pressure to do act quickly.
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#10
I'm with Rural in terms of dividend producers. Boring stocks like PG, GE, ATT are providing good returns, while we keep cash on the side for 'fire sale' prices on promising issues. Here's where dividend reinvestment plans are most useful, in down cycless - consistent dividends buying more shares, that pay more dividends that will buy more stock. Works for us.
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