Thursday, March 17, 2011

Disaster Investing

Mr. Sam has been watching Toyota, thinking about investing in it because the stock is down due to the disaster in Japan. While it makes sense to invest when the market is down, which I did last week, it feels wrong (to me) to be making investment decisions based on other people's pain and death.

I just don't know how I feel about it, yet I know that the big boys, including the investment advisers of some of the mutual funds that I am already invested in, are making these very same moves. If it is okay for Wall Street, pension fund managers, mutual fund managers and the boys with the high speed computers to make these moves, is it okay for the individual investor?

1 comment:

Nicky said...

HOnestly, I'd say yes. Toyota isn't down because people are dead. It's down because its plants and suppliers have been damaged. You're not directly profiting from people's pain. OTOH, it could take quite some time for Toyota to recover if it's dependent on things being rebuilt in Japan.