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How bad a hit did you take this week ?
Old 08-06-2011, 05:18 AM   #1
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How bad a hit did you take this week ?

I update "the spreadsheet" (you know the one I mean) twice-weekly. Last time was Tuesday, August 2. You know, the day when we all breathed a sigh of relief because Congress had decided not plunge the markets and the entire financial system into turmoil.

So I just did my Saturday update. It was kind of like peeking out from under the blankets to see if the baddies have gone, but I took a deep breath...

Actually, it wasn't too bad. The CAC40 (headline French stock index) is off 15% from ten days ago, and with 50% in stocks, I'm down 3.6% in Euros (6% in US$) over the same period. Not fun, but not cat food time yet. I guess that I'm getting some benefit out of my international diversification, which has been a one-way downward bet over the last year as the US$ has dropped.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:18 AM   #2
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Total portfolio is down 4.5% from one week ago.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:21 AM   #3
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My portfolio (CDs, municipal bonds, money market or equivalent) is right on track - about 3.5% for the year.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:28 AM   #4
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My Aug 2 response to YTD Performance Poll thread:
5.36 Total Return YTD according to M* portfolio manager
AA 31/63/6


As of Friday Aug 5, still hanging tough at 3.87% total return YTD per M* portfolio manager.
AA shifted slightly to 28/66/6. No big deal, it will eventually readjust itself back to my desired target of roughly 35/60/5.
No active rebalancing is planned.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:30 AM   #5
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Down 3.4% for the week on a 60/40 AA.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:44 AM   #6
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Don't know, don't care and ain't looking, just a bump on the road is all.
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Old 08-06-2011, 06:45 AM   #7
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Not as bad as one day in 1987 when I lost 25+% in one day (more than the -22.61% average for the day, let alone the week).

Of course in strict dollar losses (regardless of inflation), today's look a bit more scary because of the amounts posted.

I learned a good lesson - although I didn't realize it at the time. I sold nothing (no need to, my income came from my j*b) and continued to invest these many years.

Those with little time in the market (and I refer to "little", as less than 20 years) may be scared (same as I was, back then) but in the end, it taught me a good lesson about not letting short term market drops rule your future.

Additional "teachable moments" were the 2008-09 downturn (after I was already retired), when I learned to "harvest" my gains in a more timely manner, rather than just at one point of the year. That lesson suited me well, as I sold off a good bit earlier this year (several times, during the run-up) to add to my cash bucket.

IMHO, you learn little from the "good times". You need to suffer a few losses along the way to come up with a solid plan that works for you...
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Old 08-06-2011, 07:20 AM   #8
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Don't want to look....I'll wait until the end of the month.
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Old 08-06-2011, 07:22 AM   #9
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On the last big down turn it made me sick watching my port every day. I made my mind up after that mess not to look every day and just ride the down turns out. So I haven't looked in weeks.
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Old 08-06-2011, 07:25 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by 73ss454 View Post
On the last big down turn it made me sick watching my port every day. I made my mind up after that mess not to look every day and just ride the down turns out. So I haven't looked in weeks....and have focused my time applying for SS benefits.
Fixed it for ya...
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Old 08-06-2011, 07:27 AM   #11
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Fixed it for ya...
Not yet, but I'm on the cusp.
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Old 08-06-2011, 08:35 AM   #12
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I'm sure none of us took as big a hit as Slim....

Slim Loses $6.7 Billion This Week as Mexican Holdings Fall - Bloomberg
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Old 08-06-2011, 09:18 AM   #13
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I am down 1.7% for the week (in US$). Fairly conservative portfolio at the moment (around 30% in equity).
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Old 08-06-2011, 09:33 AM   #14
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I'm sure none of us took as big a hit as Slim....

Slim Loses $6.7 Billion This Week as Mexican Holdings Fall - Bloomberg
And updated this morning, he's down to -$8 billion!

World Richest Man Carlos Slim Takes $8 Billion Hit As US Economy Takes Down Mexico Holdings | Markets | Minyanville.com
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Old 08-06-2011, 09:39 AM   #15
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I am down 1% for the week and up 3% YTD. Remembering back to some days in '02 and again in '08, this seems like a stroll in the park. Of course, it felt like that then as well, before things went sour.

This is like a roller-coaster. No matter how many times you ride it, you get that same feeling in the stomach when the car reaches the top and begins the free-fall. The feeling never goes away, you just learn to enjoy it - or take another ride.
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Old 08-06-2011, 09:54 AM   #16
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I don't keep day-to-day track of most things. My equity mutual fund IRA is down 8.2% since June 30 and down 5% since January.
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Old 08-06-2011, 10:03 AM   #17
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I can suffer through another week or two before I rejoin the club.
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Old 08-06-2011, 10:22 AM   #18
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Down 1.2% for the week, still up 2% for the year. MLP and RE got hit hard. Increased my cash position further to 50%. This economy has seemed very fragile to me since April and I don't see any sustainable improvement any time soon.
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Old 08-06-2011, 10:37 AM   #19
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Down about 2% since the decline started. I am right at about breakeven YTD.

Interesting to see that the forum has a "lost a million" club. Right now, happy to say I am NOT a member, but considering unrealized losses in real estate ( My home ), big losses in 2008/2009, plus a large loss due to unwise speculation in 2004, I am slightly more than halfway there.
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Old 08-06-2011, 10:56 AM   #20
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I can suffer through another week or two before I rejoin the club.
How much are you worth?
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