Market Watch with Tom Waitt

December_1st_2010.mp3 Toronto Stock Exchange - Up, Down, Up      S&P TSX Composite Index We have all heard that the equity market returns have been disappointing, with little appreciation in the last 10 years. Buy and hold as a strategy has frustrated investors and mutual fund managers, however major moves have occurred in between. Many investors have bought into a mutual fund or an equity index and have not made a cent over the last 10 years. Indeed, with fees they find their holdings are at a loss. However, from September 1999 to September 2000 the Toronto Stock Index rose 70%; from September 2000 to October 2002 fell 50%, only to rise 167% from October 2002 to June 2008. The recent crash fell 51% from June 2008 to March 2009, since then, rose 75% to highs reached last month. In 2010 alone the Toronto Stock Exchange fell 6.4% by February rose 12.1% by April, slipped 10.2% by July and has rallied 18.5% by November 2010. Timing is everything!   There are many