I recently cleaned out my stack of Barron`s.
Before I pitched them, however, I thought it would be interesting to catalog the investment attitude of this leading publication during one of the greatest bull markets in history.
So I did.
This review is not scientific, just a random collection of quotes and impressions. Summarizing, Barron`s was bearish.
My conclusion: don`t let the media form the sum total of your attitudes without adding the most important ingredient: your own critical thinking . . .
DJ 5584.97
March 15, 1996
From Up & Down Wall Street, p.3
Good grief! Now they are downsizing stocks . . . Joe is the investment consigliere for Loews Corp. and no stranger to Barron's. He`s got smarts to spare, the real kind and the Street kind. He`s been around long enough to know the difference between bull market and genius.So how bearish is Joe? Very. "I have never been more bearish in my life."
DJ 5643.86
March 25, 1996
Weary Bull, p.15
Headline: Cash flow of Dow stocks suggest the market may be topping out
DJ 5564.74
April 22, 1996
Cover headlines:
Beware this stock, says Warren Buffet
Jim Rogers warns inflation is near
DJ 5573.41
April 29, 1996
Cover headlines:
Finding cheap stocks in a sky-high market
DJ 5582.60
May 13, 1996
Cover headline:
Stalled Out: The Dow will inch up only a bit this year, according to our latest Big Money Poll. Why portfolio managers are still keen on small companies.
DJ 5717.79
June 24, 1996
p. 40 "There seems to be such dramatically speculative froth." p. 42 "We have now seen Silly Season."
DJ 5550.83
July 8, 1996
p. 3 "Again, to dip into Street talk, it's the kind of divergence that begs to be cured by a decline in the DJIA...."DJ 5349.81
July 15, 1996
Cover headline:
Ouch!
After a bruising week, this bull market may be headed for more trouble. Looking for a safe place to hide.DJ 5889.20
September 16, 1996
Alan Abelson: "One thing you can say for this market - it may be irrational, but at least it isn`t superstitious."DJ 5894.74
September 23, 1996
p. 21 "The current run-up, Justin (Mamis) opines, is likely to carry to right around election day. And then? Not Armageddon, but a nonetheless nasty retreat that will occasion a huge sigh of relief when it fails to break through, say, 5200."DJ 6010.00
October 14, 1996DJ 6547.79
November 25, 1996DJ 7022.44
February 13, 1997
What happened after Sept. 23?
I think my subscription lapsed. I did not renew it.
(But I did buy a copy this weekend.)
As always, best wishes for your continued success in trading and investing.
J.A.S.