A couple of decades ago, I uncovered a strategy that completely changed my life. It changed the way I look at the markets and analyze stocks. It was an eye-opening moment that improved my returns and removed all of the guesswork from investing. This strategy is so powerful that, to this day, every company I recommend to subscribers is filtered through this lens. And I tell every investor who asks me what the best trading or investment strategy is to do the same. A Strategy for All SeasonsSeasonal trading has long been brushed aside as "random" or a market anomaly. Mainstream financial talking heads and columnists love to try to poke holes in our strategies and ideas. They do this despite decades and decades of research and real-world work by guys like Yale Hirsch, Jeffrey Hirsch, Norman Fosback, Dick Stoken, Peter Eliades, Jay Kaeppel, me and others. Personally, I feel that we've collectively more than proven that our various approaches are viable, time and time again. But it never seems to be enough. As Kaeppel wrote, "If 100-plus years of strong performance are not enough to convince you that a given method or trend is viable, then you are awfully tough to please." Unfortunately, a lot of investors are exactly like that. Seasonal and trend traders have long been the Rodney Dangerfields of the investing world. ("We don't get no respect!") But quite often we outperform the market by a wide margin. In reality, our economy thrives on consumer spending. And what consumers demand shifts throughout the year. Bikinis are on sale right now, while winter coats are selling at a premium. That's not a coincidence - it's a fact. And using this truth to our advantage helps us score the biggest gains. The Strategies You Love to HateOver the years, I've written that every industry has a season. At the same time, there are countless articles on the most famous - though most widely misunderstood - seasonal trading strategy: Sell in May and go away. On the surface, it seems simple enough. And it rhymes - which means it must have some sort of merit, right? (In fact, the whole adage is "Sell in May and go away, and don't come back 'til Labor Day." I mean, that's poetry.) But here's the important question for you: Sell what? Everything? Just dump your entire portfolio and sit in cash every May? |
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