How to Stay Calm During a Market Fluctuation - Shaun Stenning


In recent weeks, the stock market has fluctuated in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Last week was the worst for the market since the 2008 financial crisis, and this week has been a wild ride as well. And yet, experts say, you could lose out in the long run if you make rash decisions now. 

Shaun Stenning said, “ The last few weeks, I've been covering my eyes before I look at my investments, and only peeking through my fingers — as if I'm facing Freddy Kruger rather than a series of numbers. It doesn't help that the financial headlines are full of frightening potential futures: a possible recession, trade wars, and potential market corrections.”


“It's enough to make me want to take all of my money out of my investments and put it somewhere safe, like my mattress.”


“But no matter how overwhelming a market fluctuation may be, I also know that pulling my money out of the market is the worst thing I could do when my portfolio is trending downward. That's because the only way to guarantee that momentary losses become permanent is to sell.” These are some of the words that Shaun Stenning always says


Here are some ways you can stay calm when the market is scary.


Remember that it's okay to hide

Hiding your head in the sand gets a lot of flak, but there are times when it really is the best course of action. That's because of a cognitive bias that prompts us to take action in response to fear.


Take comfort in history

Although the phrase "past performance is no guarantee of future results" is all but tattooed on the foreheads of every stock market analyst and financial planner, there is good reason to look at the past performance of the market as a whole.


Make a volatility plan

One of the reasons why we tend to overreact to volatility is because we forget that it's a natural part of financial markets. Market downturns are normal, and we should expect to live through several of them in a long investing career.


Think through how to respond to frightening market changes before they happen. Then you know that you already have a plan to fall back on, and you're less likely to simply react out of fear.



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