The power of the human mind is incredible (and I mean this seriously). Lots of people myself included were sounding alarm back in February. You are on this forum all the time, I don't recall you telling me I was fear mongering; but maybe you thought it. Think about it...maybe you were thinking people were fear mongering or you heard it on the news and you agreed with that sentiment?
I am astonished that my post was taken in the completely opposite sense.
Me calling anyone fear-mongering? I was following the news all the time on China, and then later on Italy. On Mar 11 or so, I shared the video interview of a European newschannel with Dr. Giacomo Grasselli who headed and coordinated all the ICUs in Lombardy, who told how bad the situation was. It was promptly deleted.
Even recently, when I said one should look at NYC and what Cuomo was saying about building field hospitals, people did not care. But I guess that's human nature. They hear the news about tsunami, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and think that it has nothing to do with them. Pandemic is of course different. We are not the only ones who were so blasé. Even in Europe where Italy was suffering greatly, some people in other countries were still having "corona parties".
But it looks like this thread is more about regretting market losses. Yes, I shouldda sold more. I brought my stock AA from 70-80% down to 60% in late December, just because I thought the market was overvalued. But seeing that the pandemic would add a lot more pressure, I should have sold more later.
Now, I have unabashedly called myself a market timer (a clean one who always practices hygiene standards
), so I did not succumb to peer pressures. I always do my own things.
But I did not think the market drop would occurred so fast. The routs of 2000-2003 and 2007-2009 took longer to develop, and I did not appreciate that the virus spreads faster than the previous economy malaise.
Live and learn, as they say. And indeed, my priority now is to stay alive so I can learn. Money is actually not as important, even though I was thinking this would be the 1st time I was going to lose a 7-figure sum. Not there yet.