Inorder for us to believe you prophet, you should place a chart dated Jan 2014 to May 2015 then we shall believe you

I haven't seen a "Hello, what stock should I buy?" thread in a while.

Optimism has turned into ambivalence.

Greed replaced by caution.

Nabii Sparkly
Weka number ya kutuma mbegu

Been a while since I was last here, (since 2010 to be exact).

I was a student then, and boy did I learn. Got in at the peak and got burned severely. I got out with my tail between my legs (stock market si ya mummy).

Many lessons have been learnt since then.

1. Unless you can afford to keep track of stocks and indices full time and think about them as you go to bed, leave the trading to the traders. (and the chartists, etc)

2. If you're looking at the stock market for your next meal, please stop looking. (i.e don't have it as your primary income source or nest egg). In this relation, try as much as possible not to exit when you're neck deep in the red - the loss is not made till you sell.

3.Learn how to read financial statements (not relying on others to interpret for you) and learn to see and observe and relate how events relate to your investments. (Peter Lynch here). The main aim is investing thus aim to pay as little as possible for current and future dividends (the sock price rationally follows the dividend).

4. Consistency and patience esp for the young and the risk averse. If your aim is not trading, find good companies(see lesson 3), save cash and amass stock in intervals. Like having a fixed amount set aside for share purchases.

If the market sentiment is too bullish, buy small quantities(like half the cash you had set aside).

If the market starts heading down, proportionally increase your purchases. Bring down that buying average.(remember ugali wako hatoki hapa- see lesson 2).

Yes, these methods will not grant you the same returns as those who go fully in at the bottom of the curve, but there is less risk of missing the upward slope next time.

Which brings me to the last lesson,

5. Flexibility. Read the market. Feel the sentiment in the air and combine with lesson3. If there is nothing truly wrong with the fundamentals but prices are dipping - buy. If the books and prospects do not justify a sky rocketing stock price, eat bile, miss that wave and forget it.

Hope Hellos are watching and learning...

duly noted

Smells like a burnt hello. But kudos ur on the right path

Of course its a burnt hello.