THE DONOGHUE STRATEGIES: Ten Minutes a Week to Investment Success

Donoghue's safe-and-sound investment guide could just as accurately have been titled ""Advertisements for Myself."" Indeed, if the newsletter publisher missed any opportunity to promote his own services and expertise, it's not apparent in the galley made available for review. Which is not to say that the author's counsel is deficient in any significant respect. On the contrary, he's pitching a market-timing system that, on the basis of past performance, at least promises results consistently above average. Donoghue's game involves monitoring the seven-day yield on taxable money-market funds and the previous week's 25-week moving average. If the seven-day figure tops the 25-week average, a rising interest-rate trend is under way; this warns investors to sell their equity or debt funds and park the proceeds in a money-market fund. Conversely, a seven-day yield lower than the 25-week average indicates that the cost of money is coming down, meaning it's time to get back into stocks and/or bonds. During the eight years through 1987, Donoghue's interest-rate strategy generated 16 switch signals, only four of which proved false--an enviable record in the Wall Street league. More to the point, it produced returns appreciably superior to those that would have accrued from a buy-and-hold policy. The author's vehicles of choice are families of no-load (i.e., commission-free) mutual funds (recommended by his advisory service) that offer telephone switching privileges. In the course of making a generally persuasive case for his approach to beating the market, Donoghue discusses a wealth of ways in which accounts with goals that range from maximizing rewards through minimizing risks might adapt the the interest-signal system to their own needs. He also provides pointers on how it can be used to take advantage of IRAs and other tax-favored commitments like single-premium whole or variable life insurance. While the ""I's"" have it throughout Donoghue's hard-sell text, his uncommonly sensible briefings will have substantial appeal for security-minded investors.