gold, page-1889

At least you went proactive. I wouldn't want to do any comparisons from past behaviour of markets as participants range from multiple market crash survivors to rosy eyed first timers and anywhere in between. There is a distinction between being right and being profitable. Don't get confused between the two. Again strategy wise, each method have their strength and weakness and follow the bell curve if the sample size is large enough.

MGR SGP have been performing lately but I qualified that it depended when the holder got exposure defines a big haircut to a nice cap gain. This is the reason I find the LT comparison between asset class is such a useless debate even if academic in nature. Try doing software backtest of mechanical trend following systems then imagine oneself able to ride the LT trends while sitting on one's hands. Reality is so much more different in nature when large $ investment is under exposure to simply say one can ride out all the waves of pricing going against the position even if only paper profit were sacrifices for a bigger future gain at that point in time. Hence Backtesting systems is a useless exercise because it does not incorporate one's trading and holding personality unless one has discovered through the journey of discovery.

So what I am saying is that you are probably a LT trend following investors who are comfortable with the super trends of decades but equally as promising/profitable are shorter term investors playing a few of those swings or dip buying and selling. No one method is superior unless one can achieve the Maddoff style consistency mitigated risk strategy which exposed the ponzi weakness in a large sell off.

Your decade old investments which although had very good returns in generic exposure can also be achieved by those minting certain gold stocks as an example. The velocity of returns that took a decade to achieve can also be mimicked by a half yearly period by those astute enough. Not me as I chose to reign in risk so I am satisfied with my objectives. Horses for courses so the debate currently of whether DOW or Gold has a superior performance is just pedantic in the contents. If one is unsatisfied with one's performance through GREED, than a 1000 bagger would not be enough!

No body knows where DOW and gold will be heading too even if the fundamentals are lining up. Markets have a habit of taking money to those who knows where it is going. I certainly have learned my lessons a long time ago through my newbie experiences and I had the massive boom to ironed out some of the idiotic risks I entertained and executed. I was just lucky and I ain't making the same mistake thinking I am smarter second time against the market.