>>>>My guess 4.5%
>>>
>>>7%
>>>
>>>UK down 5.5 yesterday another 3 today. Say goodbye to your pension funds again.
>>
>>If your pension is starting today, then yes. Else, simply keep your stocks. Personally I'm thinking about the right moment to BUY some extra.
>>
>>One can also buy or write one or more put options, but IMO esp. short term puts are an extreme risk at this moment. Who can predict what the index will be in exactly one week from now? It can be lower, the same and higher. Sure, that's always true, but this week it's even more true that no one can really know how it will develop.
>>
>>If I buy, perhaps today, then it'll be for the long run and it will be regular options.
>>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Put_option
>
>
>We think alike. Buying today would be like buying stocks on sale. If you want to follow the adage of "Buy low, sell high" it helps to buy low, right?

I bought some stocks 45 minutes ago, directly after the FED announced a drop of some interest rate. Ten minutes earlier the AEX-index (Amsterdam) was 417. Within minutes it climbed to 426. That's the moment I bought. And half an hour later it was 417 again. What do these professionals know that I don't know???

Aah, if one was very good in predicting the direction, esp. these times could make one richer than Gates.

Update: The index ended today on 433.