January 13, 2013
Greetings!


Happy New Year & Best Wishes For A Successful 2013.  

 

As 2013 commences, we at SmartStops would like to take a moment to thank our members, review some of the highlights of 2012 and share with you planned updates to the service that you can look forward to in the year ahead.  

 

 

2012 - A Volatile Year Dominated By Macro Financial Headlines 

 

The S&P 500 opened the year at $1,258.86 and closed at  $1,426.19 for a nice gain of 13.47%. But this belies the volatility and uncertainty experienced by most investors during this period.  This was a year in which the bank and housing stocks came roaring back while former stars such as Netflix (NFLX)  and Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) fell from grace. And even the beloved Apple (AAPL), in the 4th quarter, lost some of its luster giving up 30% from its September high. It was a year in which many investors felt taken hostage by macro economic forces that manhandled equities as the markets careened from one financial crisis to the next, all while digesting a period of continued high unemployment and slow economic growth.   

 

Market risk and equity valuations fluctuated greatly throughout the year providing lots of opportunity to take timely action and protect assets, lower one's cost basis, and improve returns.  Note the rise in the SmartStops Risk Barometer Index (SRBI) for the S&P 500 in April and November prior to subsequent drops in the SPY.

    SPY & SmartStops SRBI 2012

 

Regarding individual equities, SmartStops alerted our members to increased risk prior to severe drops on many occasions.  Following is a look at a few of the great risk management opportunities identified by SmartStops during 2012.  

2012 Opportunities

 

 

Some Things To Look Forward To In 2013

   

 We are always looking for ways to improve the SmartStops Risk Management service.   

 

Following are some of the improvements and enhancements we have planned for 2013.

 

  • Improved portfolio view including visibility into current risk states in the table.

 

  • Updated equity view page with improved risk state visuals and a trade hotlink  

 

  • Quick action link out to your preferred broker to facilitate timely action

 

  • Introduction of an aggressive reentry strategy to compliment the current conservative reentry signal.

 

  • BrokerLink availability for Etrade clients enabling users to synchronize their SmartStops portfolios with those in their Etrade Account at a click of the mouse. 

We hope you enjoy these new features and find them valuable for managing risk and achieving your investment goals.   

 

We love to hear from you.  Please let us know if SmartStops helped you control losses or protect profits in 2012 and how we can improve the service in the future.  Email us at support@smartstops.net.  

 

Sincerely,  

 

Chris

 

Christopher J. Conway

SmartStops.net

 
 


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About SmartStops.net

SmartStops.net is dedicated to helping investors of all levels identify, manage and profit from changes in risk exposure. Buying decisions are made on a risk / reward basis.  Unfortunately, risk does not remain constant through time.  SmartStops provides effective, easy-to-implement risk monitoring and alert services for individual investors and investment professionals helping them take timely action to limit losses, improve returns and achieve their investment goals.   

For more information on how to leverage SmartStops to achieve your investment goals, visit us at http://www.smartstops.net

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