Quote:
Originally Posted by mixing
If you're really serious about it I would consider contacting a stock broker. Someone who plays the market all the time and knows about the swings..etc. If you're just looking to dabble in with a couple thousand then try searching the boards..that thread should be around here somewhere..
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I wouldn't contact a stockbroker. They are just salesmen. They don't necessarily play the market, their commissions are way higher than what you'd pay an online broker, and they usually just tell clients to invest in stocks that were rated highly by their analysts, most of whom are idiots.
I've always found the boards on Trade King to be the most helpful. Even the Yahoo ones can be decent with aggressive use of the ignore function. You can also check to see what the top performers are doing on Covestor. Here's a link to the profile of a friend of mine who has done quite well.
http://covestor.com/chris-camillo/track-record
Off the top of my head, and if I were to start a medium risk $10K fund this morning without being able to do any more research and with knowing that I wouldn't want to touch it very often for the next 2+ years, here's what it would look like.
30% BKF
It's the BRIC ETF that is most heavily weighted towards India (
see this article). You could also sell covered calls on it for additional income. This is the least riskiest of the 4 investments.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BKF
30% in January 2013 GLD Leap Puts (with a $160 Strike price)
People will say that options are risky, and they are right to an extent, but buying puts with a 2 years out strike date (jan 2013) and that are $30 in-the-money (currently trading at $130) for an ETF of a grossly overvalued commodity is about the safest way you can technically be short on something. I chose the $160s because of the high volume. I'd maybe even get some $145 strikes, but those will be riskier with more volatility. You'll have to monitor them regularly, but not obsessively or anything. Buying these puts is much safer than actually shorting the fund, but if there is an ETF that is short on gold, that would be a safer route. Especially if you don't want to mess with options.
http://www.google.com/finance/option_chain?q=NYSE:GLD
30% AAPL
Should continue to gain market share for another 12-18 months. I consider this to be a low risk investment.
10% BNVI
It will be volatile as fuck in the run up to the phase 3 test results later this year, but it will almost definitely increase by 50%+, and likely 100%+, before they announce. Right before then, you can either sell it all, take a spin at the roulette wheel and sweat it all out, or do a combination of the two. If results are good, it will go to $5+. Ignore the boards on this one because it will be filled with drama lovers and shills who are pumping/dumping for their own self interest or are paid to do so on behalf of a hedge fund.
http://www.google.com/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:BNVI