11 Days

It is natural as investors and humans to wrestle with this kind of decision:

“Should I sell the portion of my portfolio that is in stocks, and move that $ to cash, because of”….

  • The election
  • The Middle East
  • The US Dollar
  • The deficit
  • The market is “up too much” or “too high”
  • The news
  • The economy
  • Interest rates
  • Whatever the media is telling me is “bad” right now

The stock market has gained +14.48% this year. 124 trading days in:

  • 69 have been up days
  • 55 were down days

But if you emotionally went to cash, and missed JUST THE ELEVEN BEST DAYS this year, your stock market return would be -0.49%.

(source: First Trust)

Trying to time the market is a great way to stack the odds of success against yourself. Being an investor is hard enough….avoid making it even more challenging by thinking you can zip from cash to stocks and back.

Authors: Keith Wagner & Connor Wagner

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raymond James & Associates or its affiliates. All opinions are subject to change without notice. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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