Our financial system is crumbling this week.

[cpebbles]

I'd be worried that when our new "super committee" goes looking for a few nominal tax breaks to cut for show the only ones the GOP will agree to will be for alternative energy investments.

[sighyoung]

I'd be worried that when our new "super committee" goes looking for a few nominal tax breaks to cut for show the only ones the GOP will agree to will be for alternative energy investments.

And donations to NPR and PBS.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Market timing is almost always a bad idea.

Most definitely. To clarify, I'm not changing my contributions one bit based on what the market is doing, I just feel that it's a bit beneficial that I get to start at a lower baseline than most.

[greenback44]

The ten-year Treasury rate went to 2.4% today, and the five-year rate went to 1.09%.

I think I'm going to sell some bonds tomorrow.

[TimeForGuinness]

I really, really would not recommend buying in right now. This is not a rational market. It could drop another 1000 in the next week.

Never buy in large sums until the streets run red with blood.

Market timing is almost always a bad idea.

Totally agree, dollar cost averaging is the way to go. But I also tend to push and pull based on comfort level...for example, I moved a lot of my portfolio into stable stocks/bonds a few weeks ago mainly because I don't have a good feel on what's happening. The market hasn't really corrected itself from Japan, EU debt crisis, US debt crisis, Arab Spring, Oil prices, and food prices. I think that's happening now.

As I type this, it looks like they add 117,000 jobs...higher than expected, that's great news, but we need a few more months of that to start instilling confidence. Things are very volatile right now.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

If you just build a super duper computer that can look at trends and predict what is going to happen in the next second quicker than anyone else and then make millions of trades a second making pennies on each trade you really don't need to worry about market timing.

[vinsanity]

If you just build a super duper computer that can look at trends and predict what is going to happen in the next second quicker than anyone else and then make millions of trades a second making pennies on each trade you really don't need to worry about market timing.

There are companies that do this. Remember when the market took a huge nose dive for a minute a few months back? I think they said it was due to a sell order one of the computer traders and they had a decimal wrong.

I interviewed with a few companies that do this, tough hours, tight deadlines but the pay is incredible.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

If you just build a super duper computer that can look at trends and predict what is going to happen in the next second quicker than anyone else and then make millions of trades a second making pennies on each trade you really don't need to worry about market timing.

There are companies that do this. Remember when the market took a huge nose dive for a minute a few months back? I think they said it was due to a sell order one of the computer traders and they had a decimal wrong.

I interviewed with a few companies that do this, tough hours, tight deadlines but the pay is incredible.

yeah. i want those guys to handle my money. how do you get into that?

[IMADreamer]

Well I certainly wouldn't go all in but I did add to my retirement account yesterday since it's down $2 a share since last week. It may keep plunging but it's nice to get in at a little less then what it cost my last month. Over the next 25 years it probably won't matter but it's the cheapest I've bought in since I've had it.

[vinsanity]

yeah. i want those guys to handle my money. how do you get into that?

I dunno, you'd have to do some research or call a broker.