On July 22nd 2008, FCX was at $100 /share

Now its at $26. So nearly a 75% plummet in the stock price. The shang hai has plummeted that much. and many stocks in many sectors have plummeted that much or more. In 3 months time. many folks portfolios are likely nearing what they had in 2003/2004. had they put that money in gold, imagine how they'd be feeling now. far less stressed. And despite the recent drop in gold, its still up roughly double. since end of '03. FCX is basically at par from where it was at in '03. Funny how the markets work over time. or dont work. I'd say you'd have to be one hell of a stock picker or market timer or trader to be ahead in this game. Now from "Par," which is around here depending on your timeframe,say 5 years, do we start going into people's PUKE POINTS ??? I say if we get into the 7 handle, emphatically yes, then she dumps another 1500 on the dowie into the 5's. My FF from before.

An example of the problems of the "buy and hold" strategy the mutual fund companies and the mass media "experts" have been hustling to the sheeple for decades... I'll use the Vanguard Primecap Fund, a large cap, "agressive growth" fund widely held in 401K and other retirement portfolios. Today it closed at $48.32. The first time it hit that number was the first day of trading in 1999 (Jan. 4). So, outside of what one has put in since then and any capital gains and dividend distributions, of which this fund does not have a lot, an investor has made no money in this fund for almost ten years. There might even be a net loss of money as people were putting money into Primecap via salary deductions over that time. Primecap's average share price was well above that price, $48.32, most of the last ten years. I've always felt that the creation of the 401K/IRA was the biggest hustle perpetrated by corporate America via their agents, congress, of the 20th century. Another way the powerful few could transfer wealth from the masses. Can you imagine what social security would be like if they had gotten away with privatizing it? That's one proposal you're not going to hear of again for a long, long while.

401K/IRA was the biggest hustle perpetrated by corporate America ... (a) way the powerful few could transfer wealth from the masses. exacty - the book " what is wrong with capitalism" by an ex-Economist writer discusses much like this, and the beat goes on right now.