A bear market refers to a outspread decline in asset prices of at least 20% from recent highs. Clearly, these times are nothing to look forward to, but fighting back acan be dangerous. Here we will walk you through eight important investment strategies and mindsets to help you stay calm and play dead when the stock market takes a swipe at your returns based on investopedia.
Keep Your Fears in Check
There is an old saying on Wall Street: “The Dow climbs a wall of worry.” In other words, over time the Dow has continued to rise despite economic woes, terrorism, and countless other calamities. Investors should try to always separate their emotions from the investment decision-making process. What seems like a massive global catastrophe one day may be remembered as nothing more than a blip on the radar screen a few years down the road. Remember that fear is an emotion that can cloud rational judgement of a situation. Keep calm and carry on!
Accumulate with Dollar Cost Averaging
The most important thing to keep in mind during an economic slowdown is that it’s normal for the stock market to have negative years—it’s part of the business cycle. If you are a long-term investor (meaning a time horizon of 10+ years), one option is to take advantage of dollar-cost averaging (DCA). By purchasing shares regardless of price, you end up buying shares at a low price when the market is down. Over the long run, your cost will “average down,” leaving you with a better overall entry price for your shares.
Play Dead
During a bear market, the bears rule and the bulls don’t stand a chance. There’s an old saying that the best thing to do during a bear market is to play dead—it’s the same protocol as if you met a real grizzly in the woods. Fighting back would be very dangerous. By staying calm and not making any sudden moves, you’ll save yourself from becoming a bear’s lunch. Playing dead in financial terms means putting a larger portion of your portfolio in money market securities, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), U.S. Treasury bills, and other instruments with high liquidity and short maturities.
