Market sways between hope and worry while AK plays games.

This is the 19th day of Singapore's "Circuit Breaker" also known as "Lockdown" or "Partial Lockdown".

It is what it is.

All these fancy names.

Lawrence Wong says "Lockdown" means different things to different people.

"Circuit Breaker" also means different things to different people.

To me, "Circuit Breaker" is "Lockdown".

Semantics.

We can go on and on.

Beautiful.

Anyway, I have not blogged for more than 2 weeks which isn't too bad.

I did say I was going to blog only once every 3 months not too many moons ago.

What have I been up to?

If you have to ask, you must be new to my blog.

I am busy adventuring in another world, of course.






"Neverwinter" currently has an event called "Tales of Old" that rewards adventurers with powerful artifacts if they run old dungeons with increasingly challenging debuffs.

There are four artifacts to be collected and, over a few days, I have completed enough runs to get the artifact which I feel is most useful to my wizard.

I might collect another artifact just for the fun of it because the event is fun.

This is what retirement should be, right?

Do stuff for fun.

More recently, I decided to learn how to play "Magic the Gathering".

I have always been amazed by people who would spend boatloads of money buying these little packs of playing cards.

I see school children huddling around tables outside shops which sell them, competing against one another.

Most of them looked skinny.

Saved all their recess money to buy cards, maybe.

I was curious but when I saw how much I had to pay for those packs of cards and how it was a never ending story, my curiosity fizzled out quickly.

Well, that was a long time ago.

Back then, it would be unimaginable to have a fantasy RPG for the PC like "Neverwinter" be 100% free to play.

Well, I found out a few days ago that I could play "Magic the Gathering" for free online too!

Being a card game, it is very different from "Neverwinter" but they did a really good job with the animations when the cards are played.

Basically, build a deck and play to unlock more cards and gain points to purchase packs of cards.

These packs of cards are like boxes of chocolates.

You don't know what are the cards you will get which is why people buy with real world money (as opposed to virtual world money) pack after pack of cards in the hope that they will get those cards they want.

It is really another form of lottery.

Anyway, the full name of the online game I am playing is "Magic the Gathering: Arena".

The "Circuit Breaker" has been extended till 1 June 2020.

So, if you are feeling bored at home, you might want to explore this free to play game.






Although I have not blogged for more than 2 weeks, I have tried to check the comments section of my blogs regularly because I know there is still plenty of "excitement".

Of course, many spam comments too which, fortunately, are filtered out.

Those which are not filtered out, I will delete.

The section is for "comments" and not for "advertisements" nor "advertisements pretending to be comments".

Wolves in sheepskin.

You know who you are.

Anyway, if you don't see any updates in my blog for a while, you might want to check the comments sections of the more recent blogs.

The last 3 updates, for example, have many comments from readers and my replies to them.

Another reason why I have not published any update is because there isn't anything new that I want to say.

Some expect the COVID-19 crisis to "magically disappear" like a "miracle".

Some think that the COVID-19 crisis is going to sink the world into another "Great Depression".

With all that noise going on, my strategy has remained unchanged.

I will not be overly optimistic nor will I be overly pessimistic.

I will stay pragmatic.

I am staying invested because I believe that most of the businesses I am invested in will still be around as the COVID-19 crisis is resolved over time.

I will buy more stocks when I have greater clarity.

Like I said in earlier updates, I have nibbled at some stocks but I will wait for greater clarity before buying much more.

If you are new to my blog or cannot remember what I said, read my more recent updates.






Technically, the upward movement in stock prices was not supported by much higher volume and I think I said that in one of my updates.

Volume is the fuel that drives rallies and if we do not have volume, any upward movement in price will not last.

As long as volume is missing, the prospect of a V shape recovery dims.

Remember, I said on 7 April that:

"Today, the stock prices of DBS, OCBC and UOB all broke the resistance provided by their declining 20 days moving averages (20d MA).

"What this says to me is that they broke their downtrends."

That was when I bought some.

However, I didn't throw in everything including the kitchen sink.

I said in that update that as the 20d MA turns up:

"Basically, we want to see any retreat in stock prices bouncing off the 20d MA then."

Well, that bounce didn't happen.

Of course, technical analysts can talk about rising wedge patterns and how it was all a bull trap now.

I will just stick to my plan.

Be patient.

Wait for clarity.






In a U shape recovery, the bottoming process is likely to be bumpy as Mr. Market sways between hope and worry.

It will take time.

What if it is a L shape recovery?

Well, that is when those of us who have an emergency fund would do better than those who don't as the economy becomes stuck in the doldrums.

It will take even more time then.

What if it is a delayed or mutated V shape recovery?

Hurrah!

Celebrate!

We should buy even at higher prices if we see huge volume buying up stocks.

That would be a sure sign that the bull is back.

That is when high can go higher.






OK, that is all I want to say in this update.

I really want to go back to adventuring in "Neverwinter" and testing my new deck of cards in "Magic the Gathering: Arena".

In the meantime, be socially responsible and stay safe.

The health of all depends on each one of us.

We are #SGUnited.

You might want to read these and also the comments and my replies:
1. Stock market correction...
2. Buying DBS, OCBC, UOB and IREIT...
3. Largest REIT investments...
4. 1Q 2020 passive income...