CASH (CASH)
Aug 16, 2026, 12:00 amThis summary was created by AI, based on 6 opinions in the last 12 months.
The experts discuss the current market conditions and the strategic importance of maintaining a cash position. With the potential for a recession and a market drawdown, some suggest increasing cash reserves, while others maintain a relatively low cash position, emphasizing the importance of breadth in the market. Cash is viewed as a double-edged sword—while it may seem unproductive to hold in inflationary times, it provides flexibility to invest when market conditions improve. The 'Bear-o-meter' is highlighted as a valuable tool for assessing risk, indicating that the market currently reflects a high-risk environment. Experts suggest a cautious approach and a focus on fundamentally sound investments as they navigate through the current market turbulence.
ETF fixed incomes don’t work short term because of trading costs. Have US dollars in your portfolio instead. You can use SHV-N to do this. But you have to know what your bank will charge you for the FX. Can’t be a full percent.
Larry Berman CFA, CMT, CTA(A Top Pick July 8/13.) He has almost half of his investable money sitting on the sidelines waiting for bargains.
Keith Richards(A Top Pick July 4/12.) He is holding about 50% in Cash and will put it to work in Oct-Nov when he expects there will be weakness.
Josef SchachterDoes most of his buying in November and December. The worst months of the year for stocks in general are September and October. He likes to have money on the sidelines for buying later in the year.
Benj Gallander(Top Pick Aug 15/12, Flat) Half of his investible money is on the sidelines. He will wait until the market completes this summer flush-out. Will invest by the beginning of October.
Don Vialoux
(A Top Pick July 17/12.) His current cash position is about 8%-9%. You don’t need to have a huge cash weighting right now.
Jeff Young(A Top Pick June 27/12.) Thinks it was in the order of 20% of cash in his portfolio at that time but currently he is at 45%-46% which he is looking to reinvest in the near-term.
John StephensonHas been 40% cash since roughly about the 1st week of April. This is a defensive strategy. “Buy low and Sell high” and you need cash in order to Buy low. Markets tend to peak, usually in the spring and Beranke has been helping out a little bit this year. He will be looking for entry points to Buy sometime this fall.
Keith RichardsMoney Market funds. He has been selling off a few things that he hasn’t particularly liked or profitability has got to a point where he is taking money off the table. He is still very positive on the US and will continue buying it. With some of the other markets, he is just going to take a “wait and see” attitude over the next couple of months.
John HoodThis is a good time to have some cash, to be studying, to be researching, to be thinking. He watches a stock for a minimum of 6 months and often for years before he buys into it.
Benj Gallander
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(A Top Pick August 23/13.) Typically August, September and October are the months that are particularly volatile so he was happy to hold a bit of cash. He varied between 40% to 50% all summer long.