Investments

[GRH]

Well, we've had some volatile days on Wall Street in the past few weeks.

There was the "flash crash" where the DOW Jones plummeted nearly 1,000 points in a twenty minute period. Personally, I was day-trading during the flash crash, and it scared me shitless. I've never seen such volatility or such a quick sell off. I ended up cashing in (at a much reduced price point) some capital gains (to take advantage of my 0% capital gains tax). However, I cashed out most of my positions and ended up rebuying them later in the day. My total take for the day was probably a wash or slightly negative. I increased my exposure to some stocks during the downturn.

Then I reaped the benefit of the bounce when Europe announced a nearly trillion dollar bailout for the Euro zone. I cashed out some positions after the bounce with a profit.

However, the recent 376 plunge in the DOW (and the corresponding drop in S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes) has taken us below the "flash crash" levels of earlier in the month. We've officially entered a correction, and I've seen my profits trimmed by the latest downturn.

That said, with the current downturn, I'm buying more stocks on a periodic basis. I've increased my exposure to GE and COP and will be adding to my portfolio in the coming weeks. Afterall, buy stock when it's cheap.