I did this friday but thought some here might find it interesting..
Happy Friday!! Something to chew on this weekend as both an idea and to lend some perspective. I chose four of our countries most prestigious industrial companies. Names you are probably familiar with. In fact two are still in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Together they have a combined gross revenue around $292 Billion dollars. You could buy all 4 companies in proportionate $5000.00 pieces ($20,000.00 total investment) today and capture all that revenue, earnings and growth. Even if some should fail, most will survive and thrive, these four names are important industrial components. To put this into some perspective of the overly dramatic tone in today's markets I calculated the cost of purchasing these very same names six months ago to the day. I think you will find the comparisons interesting.
Company Quantity Date Price Cost Date Price Cost
GE 530 3/20/2009 9.30 5067.86 9/19/2008 26.62 14,354.67
Alcoa 800 3/20/2009 6.31 5208.42 9/19/2008 26.79 21,777.90
International Paper 720 3/20/2009 6.92 5136.04 9/19/2008 28.92 21,157.13
Dow Chemical 650 3/20/2008 7.63 5107.66 9/19/2008 37.56 24,774.67
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Total cost $20519.98 (today) $82064.37 (6 months ago)
What a difference 6 months makes huh? I think this both illustrates the disconnect between pricing and reality but also highlights the significant opportunity that panic can present us. Something to think about. Have a great weekend!!