The drops in bond and stock prices have tended to remove one source of support for the stock market - the buying provided by so-called asset allocators.

Another big market-mover, Mr. Metz said, has been tactical asset allocators, computer programs that large investors use to determine a favorable balance of investments in various markets.

Analysts said that asset allocators, a group of professionals who advise investors where to put their money, were telling people to take money out of bonds and to put it into stocks.

The notion of training one-time stock jocks to become responsible asset allocators would be like training an Indy 500 winner to operate the senior citizen bus shuttle.

Mr. Biggs, Mr. Galvin and Mr. Applegate gained fame as highly prominent asset allocators.

Much of last week's stock price drop came Friday, as the class of money managers known as asset allocators sold stocks and bought bonds, responding to the higher rates.

Even so, one group of money managers, known as asset allocators, was said to be selling stocks and putting the money into bonds.

"That could cause real problems for the equity market, because that could cause asset allocators to edge out of equities and into bonds."

This option offers simplicity and gives Mr. Wilson some exposure abroad, which he cannot get from any of the funds that are not asset allocators, Ms. Ruhlin said.

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