The Worst Investment for 2013 and the Next Decade

http://www.investmentcontrarians.com/biggest-investor-mistakes/the-worst-investment-for-2013-and-the-next-decade/1191/

The Worst Investment for 2013 and the Next Decade

By Sasha Cekerevac for Investment Contrarians | Jan 4, 2013

• 
   
• 
   
• 
   
• 0
  inShare
   
• Email

One of the biggest investor mistakes by the average retail investor is to be late to cash in on an investment theme. These investor mistakes are not limited to just the stock market, but all types of investments. If we look at investor mistakes by the retail public for buying real estate, most people were bullish at the top of the market and were selling, or were forced to sell, their real estate at the bottom. Buying high and selling low is one of the most common investor mistakes by the majority of the public.

Since 2008, the biggest trend for the average investor has been to get out of stocks and to park money in U.S. bonds. EPFR Global, a provider of data, reports that since 2008, equity funds have had a net redemption of $467 billion, compared to bond funds that have seen an influx of $1.1 trillion. (Source: “Desperately Seeking Yield,” The Economist, November 10, 2012, last accessed January 2, 2013.)

According to Morningstar, money flowing into bond mutual funds accelerated in 2012, with 26% of household investments in U.S. bonds up from 14% in 2008. This was during a year in which the S&P 500 was up a solid 13%, now up over 111% since the low in March 2009. Meanwhile, 10-year U.S. bonds are currently offering a negative yield after inflation, meaning people are willing to lose money over 10 years because they are so scared of the market. (Source: “Bond Craze Could Run Its Course in New Year,” New York Times, December 31, 2012.)

http://www.investmentcontrarians.com/biggest-investor-mistakes/the-worst-investment-for-2013-and-the-next-decade/1191/