SYNOPSIS
The markets rebounded nicely after two prior weeks of serious declines. Nasdaq rose 3.2% last week to maintain it’s top trend ranking among the indexes we follow. Oddly, only the S&P/TSX Composite Index had a decline last week, albeit a small one.
ProfiTrend Portfolio… The annualized growth rate for the ProfiTrend Portfolio is now at +114%. The PTP AGR is still well above the benchmarks shown in the mini-chart below. All three improved over last week.
Seasonality… We’ve expanded our coverage of April’s calendar effects to include sector performance.
Topic of the Week… Buy & Hold Investing: How is This Still a Thing?
We’re big fans of the weekly American TV show, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. A favourite (occasional) segment is called How is This Still a Thing? The show’s staff assemble lots of facts and figures that typically show that some concept or common practice really has no place in the 21st century. Topics have included Ayn Rand, The Sports Illustrated Swim Suit Edition, and Columbus Day. For those unfamiliar with the show and for your general amusement, here’s Daily Savings Time: How is This Still a Thing? DST is an absurd concept and it’s assumed history (it has something to do with farmers?) is false. Yet we (and about 70 other countries) go through this unjustified routine every year, as if it was important.
I don’t believe that the show has ever done a financially-themed How is This Still a Thing?, so we’re going to script one for you this week… on Buy & Hold Investing. We believe that it’s just as absurd as Daylight Savings Time, and the history of it is full of myths. We hope to convince you beyond any reasonable doubt. You can be the judge of how successful we are.