My portfolio is not the market. I am not just referring to the fact I am a shameless, card-carrying permabear and that my portfolio is the inverse of the market, because it isn’t. I am referring to its behavior in the context of general market circumstances.
There are times when the market is weak and my portfolio isn’t moving. This is terribly frustrating for me, and I’ll glare at my screen and say GO DOWN! although it never helps. There are also times, like in recent days, when no matter what the market does – – even when it’s very strong – – my portfolio is a total champ, even to the point of me having no idea why on earth I’m doing well in the face of a screamingly green market. Wednesday was particularly like this, even with my myriad screw-ups.
As Thursday’s trading day wound down, I was getting a very good feeling about what today, Friday, was going to be like. When I feel that strongly about the market, I basically shut myself off from it. I don’t look at any screens. I don’t look at any updates. If I’m near a screen that might have a chart or a quote on it, I avert my eyes, much as you would at a YWCA locker room where you heard Yellen might be changing into her gym clothes. I want to keep my mind blank.
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