All About Market Timing [Paperback]

Leslie Masonson (Author)

Book Description

Series: All About Series | Publication Date: October 3, 2003

Shell-shocked investors have lost patience with the traditional buy-and-hold approach to investing. All About Market Timing arms investors with simple, easy-to-use timing techniques that they can use to enter rising markets, exit (or go short) falling markets, and make consistent profits in both market environments while protecting against catastrophic losses.

Compelling arguments demonstrate the superiority of basic timing over buy-and-hold, while step-by-step instructions show how uncomplicated timing can be. Specific investment vehicles are recommended that fit well into most timing strategies. Investors who want to time the market using their own strategies are provided with information on available software and Web sites. And those investors who are looking for advisors to help them are provided with unbiased rating services to help them select the advisor that is best for them.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Everything You Need to Know to Make Money In Bull and Bear Markets

Market experts regularly sing the praises of the revered buy-and-hold strategy, a winning approach in bull markets. But where are those experts when regularly occurring bear markets maul investors' portfolios? In fact, where were you during the most recent collapse, in 2000-2002, when investors who blindly followed the buy-and-hold method were forced to stand-and-watch as years of investment profits were rapidly erased?

Probably holding and praying. So much for the experts.

All About Market Timing provides easy-to-implement market-timing strategies designed to help you ride bull markets while sidestepping bear markets. Built around a handful of mechanical, time-tested strategies, this long-overdue book flies in the face of the experts and their "advice" to show you how relatively easy it can be to keep your portfolio growing as other investors get crushed in every bear stampede.

The number-one key to investing is to preserve your capital. Let All About Market Timing show you how to do just that, by turning your back on the always risky--and oftentimes lethal--buy-and-hold approach.

Read All About Market Timing to learn more about:

• Five profitable timing strategies
• Increased portfolio returns using leveraged funds
• Why ETFs are better than stocks
• Market-timing newsletters and advisors
• Reliable timing software
• And much more

Leslie N. Masonson is president of Cash Management Resources, a financial consulting firm. A popular speaker, Masonson has authored four books, including Day Trading on the Edge.

About the Author

Les Masonson is president of Cash Management Resources, a cash/treasury management consulting firm, and the author of numerous books, including Day Trading on the Edge.

Product Details

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (October 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071413316
• ISBN-13: 978-0071413312
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #602,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Leslie N. Masonson, MBA, CCM, is President of Cash Management Resources, a financial consulting firm that he founded in 1987. Masonson's 40-year working career has spanned financial advisory services, trading, investing, banking operations, management, teaching, and cash/treasury management consulting. Most recently, for the past six years he was a Financial Advisor offering investment management services to retail clients. Much earlier in his career, he worked at three large banks for a total of 17 years as a Vice President at Citibank, an Assistant Vice President at Bank of America, and an Assistant Secretary at Irving Trust Company.

He has written more than 50 articles - interviews with traders, and product and book reviews - for numerous financial publications, including Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, Active Trader, and Futures magazine. He has lectured on investing on several cruise lines including Crystal, Celebrity, and Norwegian. In November 2003, he spoke at the Intershow Online Investor's Expo, on "Successfully Trading Stocks for a Living."

Masonson has been studying the stock market for more than 50 years. He has invested in mutual funds, stocks, options, futures, and commodities. Masonson has read more than 500 books on investing and trading, and he is proficient in technical analysis. He has used many investing and trading software programs over the years, including Telescan, OmniTrader, DTN, TradeStation, ULTRA, VectorVest, and High Growth Stock Investing, as well as many charting, investing, and trading sites on the Internet.

He has been interviewed on business radio stations, as well on cable TV on the Financial News Network and CNBC. The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Institutional Investor, Bottom Line/Business, Inc., Las Vegas Review-Journal, and Advertising Age have interviewed him. He has previously authored the following books: All About Market Timing: The Easy Way to Get Started, (McGraw-Hill, November 2003 and translated into Chinese in February 2010), Day Trading On The Edge: A Look-Before-You-Leap Guide to Extreme Investing, (AMACOM, 2000), Cash Cash Cash: The Three Principles of Business Survival and Success, (HarperBusiness, 1990), Corporate Cash Management: Techniques and Analysis, (Dow-Jones Irwin, 1985. Coedited with Frank Fabozzi), and the Corporate Treasury Management Manual (A.S. Pratt & Sons, 1998. Editor and Contributor).

Masonson received a BBA in Finance and Investments from The City College of New York and an MBA in Operations Research from Bernard M. Baruch College. His master's thesis title was "Statistical Evaluation of the Relative Strength Concept of Common Stock Selection."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Should be titled "a beginners guide to market timing", December 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: All About Market Timing (Paperback)

If you're already a market veteran then there is nothing new here. Seasonals, presidential cycle, valueline 4% with some variations, and moving average systems. He briefly mentions sentiment and breadth indicators but doesn't go into their use. If you're new to market timing then this is a good cliff notes on the well known timing systems.

My biggest disappointment was that there was no new or original work here. The results of the systems and their variations were not always in the same format making comparisons difficult. It should have been more consistent.

If you're familiar with Yale Hirsch, Sy Harding and the VL 4% model then this is a waste. If you want to get up to speed on market timing then it is a worthwhile book and has a good reference section.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening, October 18, 2003

By 

Robert (Freehold, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All About Market Timing (Paperback)

I have been a trader for years, actively trading well over a 100,000 shares a day, while managing a substantial portfolio. I have read most of the "I have a winning stock market strategy for you" books over the past several years. Aside from a handful they all were relatively disappointing. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this, "Market Timing", book. Many of the, "Market Strategy" books I have read require the investor to spend an unrealistic amount of time managing their investments and require them to have an in depth understanding of the stock market. I found much of the information to be eye opening and enlightening, even for a professional, and the strategies quite useful. If the author's goal was to provide investors with a No Nonsense perspective of the market and strategies to increase their total return while significantly decreasing their risk over the long term, then mission accomplished. I strongly recommend this book to amateur and professional investors.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Overview of Market Timing, January 8, 2006

By 

Gary A. Mudre - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: All About Market Timing (Paperback)

Author Leslie Masonson has written a financial book on a series of relatively simple, yet highly effective technical timing techniques. His presentation of subject matter is logically organized and concise, which makes reading the material enjoyable. He makes an effective case against the "random walk" theory without spending half the book on it. Instead, he reviews specific trading techniques in detail. Yet you do not need a mathematics degree in order to implement them. The most valuable part of the book is the detailed list of market-timing resources, which include newsletters, advisors, web sites, software, etc. I have personally dealt with some of these individuals, and find his comments about them to be fair and insightful.