Fellow DU Investors: Other than gold, foreign currencies, petroleum and

[Mike03]

targeted sector funds, where are you allocating your investment cash right now? Or are you keeping it in cash?

I'm befuddled. I've been looking at some preferreds that have nice yields, but I'm basically sidelined now, trying to figure out exactly what we do face over the next six to eight months as the holiday season unravels and the ARMS adjust.

What sectors do you like, dislike?

I'm interested in water resources, medical care, uranium and infrastructure.

Would love other opinions and input.

EDIT:

Are any of you looking at the inversely correlated funds offered by companies like Rydex that go up when the markets go down?

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. I've got a few government bond funds, hard currency funds

The yields aren't spectacular, but I am betting they do better than equity funds in the next few years.

[bbinacan]

2. I keep the same philosophy.

I follow the tenets of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and don't try to make sector bets. Markowitz and Sharpe won the Nobel for this.

[Swede]

3. Some pretty good returns on mutual funds.

But they are for the long term.

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/mutualfunds/index.html

[Jackpine Radical]

4. Prudent Bear.

[billyoc]

5. Precious metals.

:hi:

[Mike03]

6. I'm a little bit worried about a pullback in precious metals

Gold has run up so high. How are the mining companies doing?

Do you think it's smarter to hold the actual gold or to invest in funds like GLD or equities of the actual mining stocks like Newmont, etc...

There is apparently a new ETF that is only focused on Uranium and nuclear energy related stocks. I can't remember the symbol, but I think it is NLR.

[TheFarseer]

15. I'm worried that might pull back also

you might wait for that pullback (I think we saw some of it today) and jump on some mining stocks with a dividend just incase - I'm pretty big on dividends for that "just incase".

[soothsayer]

18. Gold hasn't really gone up, it's that the dollar has fallen. So it all depends

on the strength of the dollar.

[KharmaTrain]

7. Long Term Munis

You're not gonna get rich, but you're not gonna lose and you're using the money in a positive way. It's money lent to communities to rebuit their infrastructure...roads, sanitation, services. The return are competitive...and if the interest rates go up (and I strongly believe they will), these bonds will be even more attractive. And it's low risk...rarely do you hear of a municipality going out of business.

[fed-up]

8. I thought this thread would be about bribes to JackORoses.....:) (see fun run) nt

[silverlib]

9. Too close to retiremtent in my household...

I pulled almost everything into CDs. Even if the dollar continue to go down, (which I think it will) I have a fixed amount due in mortgage debt, so the dollars I can keep will still cover that debt. I can't afford to lose dollars in the stock market. I do have gold and silver, not a lot, but I feel secure that it will never go below what I paid for it - $463 and 6.53 per oz respectively. I'm not sure if I had the funds that I would buy metals now - but my gut feeling is that they have not hit their high.

Most will say that stocks need to be purchased for the long haul. My feeling is that anyone within a couple of years of retirement should get out of the market now.

But then, I didn't even stay in a Holiday Inn Express.

[pscot]

10. Europe

Latin America (terrific run over the last 3 years), defense, natural gas, Vanguards energy ETF, and Canada, which has had a great move as the buck has faded. I'm nervous, but sticking with it for now. I almost sold when we hit that air-pocket last February. I'm really glad now that I didn't. I'm interested in railroad equipment, but haven't figured out how to play it.

[Mike03]

11. I appreciate all these opinions and want to print them

out when the thread dies out.

I have also been interested naturally in China and India, but particularly in U.S. companies that specialize in retrofitting coal fired plants or preventing infant mortality or specialize in health overseas, since China is seeing so many birth defects due to pollution, which is so obscene and upsetting. They are growing so fast.

[CorpGovActivist]

12. Rydex Has Some Very Smart Managers...

... including some who helped invent the ETF. Their inverse plays (including double-ups and double-downs) are interesting, but bear especially careful prospectus reading.

If you're not averse to investing in emerging/developing markets, Brazil's 8B barrel oil find is going to make it a very attractive play. Southeast Asia will continue to see a positive bump from China's pre-Olympics spending spree to spruce up infrastructure and showcase its new position in the world.

- Dave

[Mike03]

13. Electric Grid? Heavy Machinery? Desalinization?

What do you all think about alternate energy? I would love to have some passionate belief in the future of alternative energy sources, but it's hard to discern the wheat from the chaff.

As for water, is desalinization realistic? Is it too expensive?

[TheFarseer]

14. I'm a coward with alot of CD's

but I've got a little money in an internet trading account. I think cash cows in tech like Microsoft and Intel are not such a bad idea. Honda, Toyota and the like seem like good investments. I'm waiting for oil stocks to come down a bit and then I'm going to jump on a few of them. I'd like to get into some foreign mutual funds but I'm not sure which way to go on that - maybe Latin America or Asia or Europe if you want to play it safe.

[DemReadingDU]

16. bank CDs, money market fund, a bond fund

and some GMAC demand notes which are like a money market fund and currently pays 5.75% interest. But they're not insured by FDIC, so I want to move them to a safer place.

[AlCzervik]

17. Plastics and snowglobes.

i keed.

keeping money right were is for now, stocks we picked and have held for a long time, some tech and some pharma. My husband cashed in stock options this year so that money is sitting in a money market account right until tax time which is going to be ugly.

[formercia]

19. Ammunition

Those guns won't do you any good if you can't buy ammunition for them.

[JCMach1]

20. Metals, Energy, Water and long on US Manufacturing Stocks

For metals, tracking ETF like DBP is great...

In the energy sector, seek out the undervalued stocks and seasonal plays.

Water is a long term play. There is a good new ETF called PIO that is a nice tracking stock if you want to play the sector and not an individual company.

Also, look for quality US manufacturing companies on the dips. The lower should spell big profits 15-24 months out. I bought Ford when it hit rock bottom... $5. It's $8, but could easily double once the dollar discounted exports really get rolling under a Dem pres.

Also, look outside the US... keep the portfolio diverse and look for economies that are expanding and not bubbling. Right now, I don't buy China at all.