to buy stocks?
Why do the smart people always say it is a good time to buy stocks?

Here is my advice: Invest NOW.

Everyone who says ''sell sell sell'' is being somewhat foolish in my opinion. The mantra always is: Buy Low, Sell High. Right now it is just about as low as it can get. Any money that u invest now will turn a massive profit in the long run. l would say in five years or so u will see that buying now was a smart decision. If u wait for the market to calm down u may make a bit more money in the short run, but in the long run u will lose out on a great opportunity. Remember, Patience, Patience, Patience is the rule when u r investing.

Its a great time to buy, if you are going to hold for years. SIRI, AMD, ETGF, DISK are some that could really make you rich if you hold them long enough and buy them now.

It is a great time to buy if you think this is as low as the market will go. The question is; is this as low as it will go? My opinion, however, for young people this is absolutely a great time to buy.

To answer ur question, let me quote u last weekends Financial Times - ''Prepare to buy as market nears low, says advisers''

''[an advisor] said the July low (5071) could be tested but he is not predicting a fall below 5000''

Two days later, the stock-market had shattered through the 'tester' level of 5071 & plummeted all the way down to 4800 in the worst day the S&P 500 had seen since 9/11.

That man must have been eating his words. And this carries a powerful message - these people r indeed experts, but just like football pundits, they're only using their judgement to predict, & r wrong rather often, as much of the market is left to luck, as nobody knew that such a barrage of bad news would hit us in the following week.

So firstly - If u look hard enough, u will always find an expert that agrees with ur view of the market - that does not mean ur view is the most likely. So if you're going to rely on their advice - check first with what the broader world of advisors r saying. Secondly, these people r only looking at 'indicators' & drawing conclusions, & cannot be sure at all that they r right. So be careful.

I'd like to make another point & that is whether you're looking in the long term or not. If you're looking in the short term, stock prices r very sensitive to press releases that few can predict, so as my FT quote shows - following TV pundits could cost u dearly. If you're looking the long term however, nobody can ignore that stock markets have always gone up, & that periods of good returns follow periods of crashes & slumps. If u buy now & hold, u can be pretty confident that in 10 years u will have made a decent return. But would u have done better if you'd waited 6 months before investing? That is the question. Guessing the market is bottom is not an exact science. 'Smart People' on TV r one source of infomation, but there r many others that may help u decide for yourself. You can read the financial news or collumnists: ft.com, for more infomation.

My personal view: Its likely that this is 'around' the low the indexes will get. However we r still at the mercy of more bad news. To quote someone who answered above: ''Right now it is just about as low as it can get. ''. Do not let yourself into this mindset.

That mindset goes like this 'Maaan its fallen so much! It can not possibly get any lower!!!' & this is a decision that is based purely on the size of the drop, rather than the true economic reality underpinning prices. Compared to previous bear markets, FURTHER DROPS ARE NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. Feeling like a bear market is over simply because u 'feel' like it has dropped alot is simple an amateur view that could leave u with a very red face. Be wary.

we are still in a bear market
not a good time to own stocks
they always say it is a good time to buy stocks
just like real estate people claim it is a good time to buy a house
because they want to generate the commissions from traqding
they do not care about the consequences for the people
who get mixed up in these transactions

The bear market is not over yet, but we should be close to the bottom. Could go down to 9700 on the Dow. If u r thinking of getting into the market, or redistributing, u may want to wait till their is real evidence of the market turning around. When it does turn around, make sure u r in. Their will be a bump when the bailout is passed, but might be very temporary, then possibly a new low. My suggestion, buy small mid or large cap growth funds, American Funds have some good offers, andthey pay a good dividend in Dec. l did not hear the libertarians warning about this mess. You might want to reconsider.