Mumbai: The Sensex took six long years to move from 5,000 to the 10,000 mark.

The next 5,000 points came in just a quarter of the time, but the real scorcher was the journey from 15,000 to 18,000 — just over three months.

However, even as the Sensex raced past its year-end target, with almost trhee months to spare, it's mixed reactions on the street of hopes, the Dalal Street.

Some investors say the bullrun is awesome, others say it's fantastic and yet others say it is plugged. And as the bull continues to indicate that it's not tired running yet, what do retail investors do?

Remember, a Stock Market is not a Casino

Hold and hope for more? Or shed and make hay while the sun shines? Says MD, Smart Manager, Dr Gita Piramal, "Book some, keep some.

When you buy a stock, you can't decide when you are going to exit that stock.

That's very very hard to do." Adds Alok C Churiwala of Churiwala Securities, "It's very obvious that when the market moves up in less than 25 sessions about 2,000 points, then cautionis going to bethe watch word."

But the bull run has changed the fortunes of just four per cent of Indians who have invested directly in the markets.

Find out What Kind of an Investor You Are

What can the others do now? Enter at these levels? Says Financial Planner, Sandeep Shanbaag, "You can never eradicate the risk factor.

But it can be minimised and that can be done through mutual funds. So even as mutual funds spanning a spectrum of sectors could be an alternate option, investors continue the debate on the next step ahead — hold, sell or wait and watch!