News headlines are often written to grab attention. A headline publicizing a 500-point move in the Dow may trigger an emotional response and, depending on the direction, sound either exciting or ominous enough to warrant reading the article. However, after digging further, we can see that the insights of such headlines offer limited information.
Fashionable investment approaches will come and go, but investors should remember that a long-term, disciplined investment approach based on robust research and implementation may be the most reliable path to success in the global capital markets.
"Sellers were out in force on the market today after negative news on the economy." It's a common line in TV finance reports. But have you ever wondered who is buying if so many people are selling?
Insights from financial science suggest you should direct your investment efforts to the things you can control. These include taking account of your own preferences and sensitivities when choosing investment strategies, diversifying your allocation to moderate the ups and downs, being mindful of the impact of fees, and exercising discipline when emotions threaten to blow you off course.
Inflation is an important consideration for many long-term investors. By combining the right mix of growth and risk management assets, investors may be able to blunt the effects of inflation and grow their wealth over time.
A key part of a good long-term investment experience is being able to stay with an evidence-based investment philosophy, even during unsettled times. A strategic, transparent investment approach backed by decades of academic research is the answer to being prepared to face uncertainty and that approach has historically captured the long-term returns of capital markets most effectively.
Double digit declines are common and don’t usually mean a loss for the year. The average peak-to-trough pullback in a year is -13.8%. Thus far in 2018, global stocks are in 'correction' mode and down -10% from their peak.
For a number of investors, 2017 was a paradox. The harder they tried to enhance their results by paying close attention to current events, the more likely they failed to capture the rate of return the capital markets offered.
Unlike stocks or bonds, it is not clear that bitcoins offer investors positive expected returns. Unlike government bonds, they don’t provide clarity about future wealth. And, unlike holding cash in fiat currencies, they don’t provide the means to plan for a wide range of near-term known expenditures. Because bitcoin does not help achieve these goals, we believe that it does not warrant a place in a portfolio designed to meet one or more of such goals.
The US stock market has delivered an average annual return of around 10%. In most years, however, the return has been above or below the average, often by a significant amount. Understanding the range of potential outcomes can help investors stay disciplined and increase the odds of a successful investment experience in the long term.