On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 03:55:35 -0600, "Jim Stewart" <stewart@ceet.niu.edu>
wrote:

>
>"Nebulous" <Nebulous@pigtail.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:41a9930f$0$16573$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
>>
>> "Jim Stewart" <stewart@ceet.niu.edu> wrote in message
>> news:cob5jo$fcc$1@usenet.cso.niu.edu...
>> >
>> > "Nebulous" <Nebulous@pigtail.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
>> > news:41a8e4b3$0$19154$cc9e4d1f@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
>> > >
>> > > "MacHamish" <russj41@concentric.net> wrote in message
>> > > news:u4fhq0ddcl6djfvbqocv5a68fcj2obabs8@4ax.com...
>> > > > On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 17:30:36 -0000, "Nebulous"
>> > > > <Nebulous@pigtail.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>> > > > >Actually he should have bought Euro's.
>> >
>> > The fact that he did not places a shadow on his genusness. Hindsight is
>> > always easy.
>> >
>>
>> It was intended as a joke Jim. If he got out of dollars and into gold he
>has
>> done very well, and much better than most people, although he has
>> contributed in his own small way to the demise of the dollar. I was trying
>> to suggest he should instead have done something (invest in Europe)  I
>felt
>> he would find difficult to justify to himself.
>
>My Aunt took her money and has bought gold for decades. She would have
>been much better in real estate or the stock market.

You may be premature in that judgment.  As someone said, timing is
everything.  What if gold were to go to $3,000 the ounce.  In such a
scenario, the bottom would have fallen out of the stock market and your aunt
would be sitting prettier than just about everyone else.  Admittedly, this
is an extreme projection, but it's not totally out of the realm of
possibility.

That being said, I take your point.  For the vast majority of people, the
best course of action is to buy blue chip stocks and hold them over a long
period.  Most people don't have the savvy or the time to give the markets
the attention they require.  It's better left to good advisors, most of whom
would agree with your position.  On the other hand, there's no sense in
riding corrections down if you see them coming.  Nor is there any sense in
ignoring a hot sector if you get in early enough, which means before it
becomes hot.  How's that for stating the perfectly obvious?

MacHamish M$(D??(Br