By Peter Bergen.

Excellent Book. I highly recommend stopping whatever you are doing and going to wherever it is that you get your reading material, and get this book. It’s only 260 pages, and reads like a novel. You feel as if you are there.

The only part I’ll comment on is the part that I got a hearty laugh.

Background: There was a dog, Cairo, that was part of the SEAL team that landed to raid Osama’s compound. Cairo wears body armor and was there to track anyone trying to escape from the compound, and was also there to discourage inquisitive neighbors from getting too close.

Soon after the raid was over, Obama met with the SEAL team et al.

“The president asked to see Cairo, the dog that had accompanied the SEALs on the raid. The SEAL team commander warned the president: “Well, sir, I strongly advise you to have a treat, because this is a tough dog, you know.” Cairo was presented to Obama, although a presidential petting was discouraged and the dog was wearing a muzzle.”

I was helping an older gentlemen [he fought in the Korean War] yesterday at the grocery store. Afterwards, we were talking and I found out that he lives part of the year in Bozeman. I told him that my husband and I want to explore Montana and go to Bozeman. He then asked if I “make it to the park very often”.

Me: puzzled look. “Drake Park??” [The park that is in downtown Bend.]

NO. Yellowstone.

I’ve learned that San Francisco isn’t San Francisco or San Fran, it’s The City. Now, I’ve learned that Yellowstone isn’t Yellowstone, it’s The Park [at least for people who live nearby]. Ha.

According to a list just released by the Social Security Administration, how many of the top 5 most popular baby girls names end with an A?

.

.

All 5.

1. Sophia

2. Isabella

3. Emma

4. Olivia

5. Ava

.

Or Insurance Salesman?

 All fraps will be half priced.  This year’s new flavor is Mocha Cookie Crumble.

20 Hard and Fast Rules to Help You Beat the Stock Market
By Simon Thompson.

Friday the 13th – applies only to Germany, Ireland, Italy, Holland, Japan, Spain, Norway, Sweden and UK (Unsure why in just these countries and not others).

Historically, Fridays produce better returns than any other day of the week. Studies have shown that for the markets in the above countries, returns on Fridays on the 13th were significantly higher compared to other Fridays (in some cases, 10 times greater).

No one can come up with a good explanation, but the data samples have been substantial and cover a long period of time (going back to 1935).

The play? Buy an index fund shortly before the close of trading on Thursday and sell before close on Friday.

Even though this doesn’t seem to apply to the US markets, we just have one in 2011, and we just had it – May 13th.
Next are January, April and July 2012.

20 Hard and Fast Rules to Help You Beat the Stock Market
By Simon Thompson.

Playing Footsie. (NOTE: this is a bull market phenomenon)

In the UK, the FTSE 100 is a listing of the top 100 companies in the UK, based on market value. The companies that make up the 100 changes each quarter.

The list is reviewed on the 2nd Wednesday of March, June, September, and December and companies are dropped on the 3rd Friday of those months. During those 7 trading days, funds that only invest in the 100 companies are forced to sell, thus lowering the price so that investors in the know, can buy these shares on the cheap.

All you have to do is buy shares of the companies that are being dropped from the 100 and hold for 3 months. Then do the same all over again by reinvesting the proceeds into the next companies being booted from the 100.

Ave quarterly gain has been 13.6%.
To find out the changes: Www.ftse.com/indices

20 Hard and Fast Rules to Help You Beat the Stock Market
By Simon Thompson.

I got this book from the library and kept putting it off to read.  However, once I did start, I’m very glad I did.  I HIGHLY recommend reading this if you are a trader of any sorts. 

** This is part of a series of 13 posts during the month of June. **

St. Patrick’s Day Trading Strategy
On average, the market goes up:
0.34% two trading days before St. Patrick’s Day
0.37% the trading day before
0.07 on March 17th
0.19% on the day after
Cumulatively, that’s up 0.97% in 4 days!

On average, the market goes up:
0.34% two trading days before St. Patrick’s Day
0.37% the trading day before
0.07 on March 17th
0.19% on the day after
Cumulatively, that’s up 0.97% in 4 days!