thailand and the stock market

Was in thailand with friends just the other weekend and what can i say? I really enjoyed the vacation with friends, a chance to get to know them better in a different environment and a chance to get away from all the work and stress. Just seeing the development and the progress in the place just makes you think what should we do to improve the image and the economy in the philippines?!?!?! the groundwork for success in our economy has been laid out by the present administration but the question is... will it go on after president gma steps down from office? These are questions that we cant answer for now but what we have to appreciate right now is that the fundamentals of the stock market is very solid and now is a good time to invest for the long term. But what if the market goes down together with the global sell-off? Well i myself will buy more value stocks and hold them for the long term. :) you must be thinking if im crazy to buy in this kind of environment which is erratic. Well this started last february 28, 2007 when there was a sell-off in shanghai which triggered a global sell-off and of course our beautiful country was also affected after the psei almost reached the 3,400 level. Short term traders say that the trend is your friend and i wont argue with that for it is true but sometimes when you look at the bigger picture investing for the long term is also advantageous in a lot of ways. Less work in a way that you dont have to monitor the market everyday. :) and less commissions to pay because you have lesser transactions. :) for the last year of trading why not check how many transactions did you make and how much did you profit and how much did you pay for commission. :) you'll be surprised at how much you pay your broker. :) but anyway ive already posted my reasons a few weeks ago why the stock market will continue to trend up for the long term. Volatility is not bad if you just have to use it to your advantage. As i've said the market is irrational and whenever the market is in a good mood and sells stocks at a bargain take the as a chance to buy and when the market is feeling generous and would be willing to buy your stock at a premium than its value then take that as a chance to sell! :) the best way to protect yourself from volatility and big drops in prices is to buy stocks at a cheap price. I guess thats your best protection from price drops because the buying stocks cheap most of the time is usually buying them near the bottom. :) being a value investor means a few things an arbitrageur, a bargain hunter, a contrarian and a patient man. I believe we are one-third or one-half in the markets bullish cycle. It wont be easy thats why you have to learn to detach yourself from the daily happenings in the market. We'll get there we just need time and patience. :)