The markets continue to fluctuate . . .

Since the last blog post, the markets, in general, have not done much - though generally in an upward direction as far as value goes.  In the U.S. the general consensus is the recession will be over by the end of the year.  Oil prices have started back up, and after brief periods of rest at various resistance levels, generally continues to move higher.  It is easy to predict summer gas pump prices (at $3.00) as in many places in the country, we have already reached that mark.  Overseas there are markets increasing and the BRIC countries  (Brazil, Russia, India and China) seem to be a place to focus on for future growth to your foreign investments in your portfolio.

It is still not clear what the auto industry will look like, now that both GM and Chrysler have filled for bankruptcy, and Ford is burning through cash at a rate which would indicate they have less than a year to "live" without a rebound in the economy.  The government continues to bail out certain industries and state issues, though this continuing printing of money is selling us to China!

So, with all of this going on, what am I looking to do for future investments in my portfolio?  My focus going forward, works for me - it may not work for you as you must re-evaluate your risk tolerance and time horizon along with the goal for your funds.  I plan on investing a lot overseas as I see the greatest opportunity for long-term growth.  I will be underweighting U.S. and Western Europe and focus on the BRIC and less developed countries.  The only industries I am focusing on is Energy, Infrastructure and Healthcare in that order.  One can also look at the corporate bond area of the intermediate maturity level for decent yields.

This is what I am doing, what do you think?