why aren't people diversifying their bonds anymore?
445839
They should.\nBond ladders are a good thing to use when investing in bonds.
700271
I've done that with what I call 'loose change'.  Sometimes I've got a few dollars sitting around, obviously not going to make a lot of interest and not large enough for something substantial.  If some risky thing has been going down but I still feel it worth holding onto (its kinda fun when you sweat over a $90 stock moving a couple of bucks while a stock selling for less than a dime now goes for a buck or two, and yes, I've had that happen), then making an extra small trade can average down the value of your position.  When the stock starts to tick up for whatever reasons, you now have a lower break-even or profit point.  Again, it is only if you've got a few bucks left not doing anything and at Scottrade for $7 plus a half-point, it doesn't hurt much.  Of course, I also got a couple that are cluttering up my list because it will cost more to sell than they are worth today but that is part of the risk, right?
328030
If you're an aggressive investor who wants to follow the market conditions and the swings in the market, you would never subscribe to the modern portfolio theory.\n\nIt's the passive investor who should use that theory, and not put all their eggs in one basket.
95304
As stated, it depends on your age and your tolerance for risk. Savings bonds are guaranteed by the US Government, but only return about 4-6% per year, depending on the bond type. There are very safe mutual funds that allow you to invest over time (like bonds), but that will return a better percentage than savings bonds, which are the most conservative. Even mature people should not be investing "large" amounts of money in savings bonds, because there is a holding period. If you take the money out too soon, you pay a penalty (lose interest). Plus the returns are not that great.\n\nLastly, expecting that savings bonds will create the money you WILL need in retirement is unrealistic. You need to fund a 401(k) where you work, buy some stocks and mutual funds, then you can add some bonds. Diversification is the secret.
861409
Bonds? I can't figure this out at all.  But that's nothing new for me.
293375
They are still reeling from the tech bubble burst and are afraid to do a reverse spilt. At least they are still around.\n\nThey simply have too many shares outstanding from splitting them when the price was skyrocketing and feel it would be bad form to do a reverse split. \n\nWusies.
527352
just check on the analysists or join in to some companies who give details on investments. I am giving names of 2 sites where u can log on. But play safe as markets are very volatile at the moment.\nHappy Investing
1186247
On the springboard of life, can't we invest our thoughts on a higher plane without the same stock answers. Can we not form a stronger bond without taking the plunge? I t doesn't take much to make the stock market nervous (notice how we refer to it as an organic entity?). I can remember analysts informing us that good news (better than forcasted) spooked the market. I can't recall the details, but the upshot was that the news, while being optimistic, could lead to inflation or deflation or recession, or who knows. Trying to read the tea leaves of the stock market will drive us all crazy.  Invest in companies, not stocks. Companies that have high growth yields. Anything else is like playing with Tarot cards.
685650
Based on historical evidence, bond prices are less volatile than the prices of other assets like stocks, options, etc.  In other words, while bond prices do move around, as you note, they don't move around as much as stocks.  Also, if you hold a bond to maturity and it doesn't default--most bonds don't default--you will get all the principal and interest you bargained for when you bought the bond.  You can't say that with certainty for stocks, real estate and other investments.
1164030
The bonds have an interesting history, but retain value only as collector items.\n\nThe bond issue was largely subscribed by Poles living in the US, and was subsequently converted at least once to bonds that became due in 1958.  Because they were largely bought in the US, this is about the only place you will find them.  Because they were converted the original issues are rare.\n\nAccording to the second source I link, they have no financial value and can no longer be redeemed in any form.\n\nBut one bond in Fine condition is listed in my third link for $120 (go down about a third of the way to "POLAND; bonds & shares").
205298
They usually trade on the exchange of the underlying security.  Most have a small market so prices can be spotty.
66369
That's not diversified enough.  If you want to do that, buy a mutual fund.  If you are a small investor then you need to spread your money out so that you are not hurt by something that directly affects 1 industry -- which is the case in what you describe.
458503
Basically, traditional investment advice ignores the impact of equity diversification on the reduction of risk. Correlation and volatility are persistent qualities of most well-managed mutual funds. Thus, the right mix of equity funds could be less volatile, and have more return, than a mix of bond and equity funds.\n\nThe tools to research this concept can be found in the free FastTrack trial at http://www.fasttrack.net
66179
Check out Barron's Weekly and the Wall Street Journal.  Also, most broker web sites present this general information on a real time basis.  P.S. Even highly rated corporate bonds can go sour over the long term; you may be better off buying longer-term Treasuries.  Bond investing is generally much more difficult than stock investing.
1025809
Maybe you're not making money 'coz people are getting smart now.  They know spam and scam.  They're learning about easy money being easy to lose money.  Oh well, good luck!
494554
Sometimes companies borrow money by issuing bonds in small denominations that are targeted at individual investors.  These bonds tend to be "locked up" into individual investor accounts and so are fairly untradable.  As a result they are not quoted, though they exist and you can see them in company annual reports.  \n\nAn example is General Motors - they often have issued such bonds.  As a professional investor I was interested in buying some but it was pretty much impossible, as I could only get relatively small amounts.
19671
Most likely because they paid a distribution, which comes out of the NAV. So shareholders in the fund didnt lose money, it's just that time of year.