Where from Here?

Rarely a day goes by without someone (at the store, in a doctor's office,etc.) asking about which direction the stock market is heading. A few days ago I was asked if I was a "bull or a bear"? My response was simple- if you plan on being around for awhile then you have to be a bull. That is the long term answer. The short term- this day; this week; this month may be different but that is not really investing anyway...it is speculating. The headline at lunchtime today on one of the financial news channels was "Should you buy/sell or hold? " What may well serve their "news" interests in filling air time should not be confused with an investment strategy. Long term investors are in the markets for the long term. They expect both good times and bad . It is really just that simple.