All about Market Timing

by Leslie N. Masonson

Book Overview

Use market timing to generate positive returns-with lower volatility Events of the past decade have proven beyond doubt that buy-and-hold strategies don't work in bear markets. Market timing, however,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0071413316
• ISBN13: 9780071413312
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great Overview of Market Timing

Author Leslie Masonson has written a financial book on a series of relatively simple, yet highly effective technical timing techniques. His presentation of subject matter is logically organized and concise, which makes reading the material enjoyable. He makes an effective case against the "random walk" theory without spending half the book on it. Instead, he reviews specific trading techniques in detail. Yet you do not need a mathematics degree in order to implement them. The most valuable part of the book is the detailed list of market-timing resources, which include newsletters, advisors, web sites, software, etc. I have personally dealt with some of these individuals, and find his comments about them to be fair and insightful.

Great Introduction to Market Timing

I was one who was hammered by the market downturn of 2000 - 2002 and it was because I was following the "buy and hold" philosophy. I was not and am still not very sophisticated in investing but I am paying very close attention now. But I've not had a good strategy. This book does a good job of giving me a good overall strategy to consider and equally important, other resources to look at. I also tried contacting Mr. Masonson via the email address he provided in his book. Within 5 minutes after I sent the email over the Christmas holiday, he called me! We had a good chat and he offered more advice that I thought was very helpful.

A Primer on the Myth of Buy and Hold

I have been an individual investor for over 25 years, utilizing brokers, money managers and self-directed mutual funds at various times. During that time I have experienced bull and bear markets as being generally puzzling and unpredictable, and have ridden the market up and down with the masses, which are generally advised to dollar cost average and buy and hold. I was particularly incensed, as was everyone else, during the recent severe bear market, when the "diversified group of mutual funds" failed miserably as all the ships sank, and the mutual fund managers were seemingly baffled and confused, unprepared to exercise any sell discipline, and totally ineffective in protecting our money. Leslie Masonson has presented a relatively simple and understandable, statistically verified and workable means of formulating a personal approach to market timing, by using one or more logical and tested strategies to attempt to optimize the rallies during bull markets, while endeavoring to sidestep bear markets while the herd heads for the door. Plaudits to Mr. Masonson for offering a plan which admits to no guarantees, but which incorporates the hard earned and heartfelt experience of a lifetime of investment counseling, and is designed to help us plan our investing so as to be able to make our own decisions more rationally and effectively, without relying on any outside parties. This point is particularly important, since I'm sure that most investors would agree that no one else is nearly as concerned about our portfolios as we are.

Enlightening

I have been a trader for years, actively trading well over a 100,000 shares a day, while managing a substantial portfolio. I have read most of the "I have a winning stock market strategy for you" books over the past several years. Aside from a handful they all were relatively disappointing. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this, "Market Timing", book. Many of the, "Market Strategy" books I have read require the investor to spend an unrealistic amount of time managing their investments and require them to have an in depth understanding of the stock market. I found much of the information to be eye opening and enlightening, even for a professional, and the strategies quite useful. If the author's goal was to provide investors with a No Nonsense perspective of the market and strategies to increase their total return while significantly decreasing their risk over the long term, then mission accomplished. I strongly recommend this book to amateur and professional investors.