You know

Two things occurred to me today.

1) Why do I give people respect before they earn it? Mr. Cramer was given respect by me since he was a successful hedge fund manager and his seemingly correct predictions. I will continue to read his thoughts since they are helpful and brings out thoughts that I never had, but the seeming ease where he does the thinking for you is dangerous and leads to trouble. Read him only if you will follow it up with research and thoughts of your own.

2) Cramer's continual line "bulls make money, bears make money, but hogs get slaughtered" is true, but only today did I realize the inherent reality of that statement! For three years I made money in the secular commodity bull market and preceded to lose a lot of it shorting the market because I was a hog, trying to have it both ways. There is a catch term now called "market neutral" where a fund makes money in both up and down markets and WSJ questions the performance of such funds. I believe you have to take a position and stick with it because markets move in waves: when the bull market ebbs, the bear flows which would lead to the profound statement: WATER is never neutral! maybe for ph readings but that is if you can find PURE water but I highly doubt it.