As subprime woes continue to pummel any company with the word "financial" in its name, the housing industry takes on the appearance of a tattered double-wide, and retailers hold a fire sale on their shares, the market is challenging investors' faith. But it's time to calm down and get back in the game. I'm here to call the bottom.
Or, perhaps, the Federal Reserve won't cut interest rates again, consumers will lose what's left of their confidence, we'll tumble into a full-blown recession, and the market will spiral down to levels not seen since the Internet bubble splattered. Or not.
The fact is, no one knows for certain what's going to happen. Not the talking heads. Not the insiders. Even someone as in the loop as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke can get it fabulously wrong, as when he predicted on May 17, 2007, "We do not expect significant spillovers from the subprime market to the rest of the economy or to the financial system." Nice call, Ben.
As BusinessWeek reported in its year-end article celebrating the biggest bonehead predictions from the previous year, a Caris & Co. analyst boldly called that "Amazon.com
Predictions are tough, but we can be pretty confident of two things:
- Over time, the market's going up. It has for decades. It will for decades more.
- In the actual days, weeks, months, and even years that make up that time, the gyrations of the market are about as predictable as Britney Spears.
So, should we give up?
While timing the market is folly, there's a way to give yourself great odds at market-beating, portfolio-building, wallet-lining, heir-enriching returns over the long term: Buy great companies at a discount.
The market's been a bit of a tornado recently. It's been indiscriminately touching down and wreaking havoc on all sorts of companies in its path, each weakening industry spilling into others that are related, sometimes tangentially.
Unless you were planning on cashing in your shares this year to retire, that's actually a pretty good thing, because great buying opportunities abound.
Starbucks
Shares of Legg Mason
With talent like superstar investor Bill Miller on the roster, Legg will rediscover its investing mojo and assets under management (AUM) will flow back to the company. Shares have dropped more than 20% since Philip recommended it in the December 2006 issue of Inside Value and another 3% since he re-recommended the company two months ago. Just a greater discount for today's buyers.
Termites in Home Depot's lumber?
Two other companies you might have heard of -- Home Depot
In the short term, no one can say what's going to happen to these companies that have drifted to the depths of their share-price ranges.
But as value investors know -- and never shut up about, frankly -- the best time to buy is often when the rest of the market wants nothing to do with it.
That's the Inside Value philosophy, and it's an approach that will reward investors over the long haul. If you'd like to see all the beaten-down companies that Philip and his team are confident will make you rich down the road -- whether we're at the bottom or not -- we offer a free 30-day trial, with no obligations to subscribe.
Roger Friedman is managing editor at The Motley Fool and owns shares of Home Depot and Starbucks. Home Depot and Legg Mason are Inside Value recommendations. Starbucks and Amazon.com are Stock Advisor recommendations. Bank of America is an Income Investor selection. The Fool has a disclosure policy.