The market is definitely ping-ponging and investors are either running for the hill or celebrating the potential for a bottom. It may seem one day that the news is all gloom and doom and the next day there are numerous positives about the economic situation listed heralding a market bottom. What can you believe? If you’re taking a long-term view of your investments, it really doesn’t matter. If you have money to invest, now is definitely the time to invest as any long-term strategy will give your money time value the more you wait to cash in.

Ten Years Or More

Let’s assume that the bottom of the market isn’t reached in 2009. It might still come in 2010, or maybe even 2015. At any rate, if you have at least 10 years before retirement and you’re trying to cash in on the great value and low prices of some quality stocks out there, now is the time to do it. Once the rebound happens, you may be priced out and it will be too late to invest then. That’s why many investors will continue to buy in down markets as they know that just waiting out the ups and downs to a later date has historically been one of the easiest ways to make money in this financial system.

Think Value

What’s going to happen in the year’s ahead? Does anyone know for sure? You may not be a fortune-teller, but some trends are clear. Pick stocks that can provide an increase in value over time. This can be stocks from emerging markets like Asia. It can mean investing in commodities like agricultural stocks and oil. Look for companies that are well-positioned to survive the downturn and have a quality product. As their competitors go bankrupt, those customers will be forced to find a new vendor, thus increasing the likelihood that the survivor gets a larger market share. If you hold stock in that company, your stock is likely to increase in value too