For those of you just awaking from a three-day sleep, the stock market plummeted Friday, with the Dow losing 213 points. The slide can be attributed to a few factors, not the least of which is the expanding uncertainty concerning Iran.
Undeniably, I am not an expert on Iran. However, it is abundantly clear that there is mounting concern over Iran's nuclear program, and the volatile climate surrounding the actions of its president, Mahmoud Alimadinejad. The fact he met recently with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad would at least suggest the likelihood of increased defiance on his part. This heightens fear of a showdown between the West and Iran, which could have a significant impact on oil reserves and prices. I will leave more in-depth analysis to those more educated in those matters. However, this air of uncertainty leads me to believe that the "buy and hold" strategy of investing has to be seriously questioned. It lends further credibility to my strategy of deep in-the-money-calls as a sound philosophy for successful investing.



