If you just buy and hold, you can see your portfolio going...

If you just buy and hold, you can see your portfolio going sideways for bluechips and down for speccies. Looking at graphs, there have been plenty of opportunities to range trade.

I agree with camden, too many people have hope as a mainstay of their shares strategy. It must be struck from your trading plan.

There are plenty of motley fool articles to read. Be warned, that it is a vehicle to snare you into a subscription. Shares are too complicated and dangerous for the common person, you need our excellent guidance to make money. There are however, some excellent ideas embedded in their articles.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/motley-fool

is where you can find some more of their articles.