Market correction anxiety

[nash031]

So is anyone buying? I did a little buying at the end of Oct (?) or so when the market went down to about similar levels but I think I'm going to stay put this time unless the market drops another 5%+

I've now taken three nibbles (about 10% of my cash allocation each time) on days where S&P was down 10% or more from its peak. Still sitting on about 10% cash position overall that I plan to move in slowly over the course of time, hopefully riding the way down before a market turn.

 

[Rickt]

On a serious note, I wonder how many readers of threads like this get a level of comfort knowing that they're not alone in 1) their concern and 2) holding the course.

I've learned a lot here in the past 10 years, but I know in '08 this forum gave me just a bit more confidence in staying put than I would have had otherwise.

+1
I visit this forum daily (even though I don't post much) and gives me strength to stay with my plan. Thanks to all the smart and wise members who post regularly.

This too shall pass......

 

[misanman]

Buying

So is anyone buying?

I've been trading some cash for equities. Whenever the market is down significantly there's a good chance I'm buying.

 

[Carol1862]

This forum is probably the main reason I’m not having a nervous breakdown right now. Try to relax, stay the course I keep telling myself.

 

[kgtest]

I buy every 2 weeks. DCA takes the guess work out. I realize a disciunt when I see one

 

[Rickt]

Noticed this am my bond/cash allocation just crossed the 5% band yesterday.....will wait a little to buy some equities.

 

[W2R]

Noticed this am my bond/cash allocation just crossed the 5% band yesterday.....will wait a little to buy some equities.

Thanks for reminding me to check!

My AA is supposed to be 45:55, and I rebalance when the equity portion either exceeds 47.5% or drops below 42.5%. Right now it is 43.08%. No need to rebalance just yet, and since I always rebalance the first week in January, I'll probably just wait until then even if it drops a little below 42.5%.

 

[dvalley]

I also do DCA but when the market drops more than avg I tend to throw a bit of extra cash into it.

 

[Sunset]

So is anyone buying? I did a little buying at the end of Oct (?) or so when the market went down to about similar levels but I think I'm going to stay put this time unless the market drops another 5%+

Yep, bought some as had a little cash sitting in accounts (ROTH) that is not going to be touched for a long time, I hope

 

[kgtest]

Yep, bought some as had a little cash sitting in accounts (ROTH) that is not going to be touched for a long time, I hope

Just dropped an extra 3grand over into VMMXX...I'm in no hurry though. I am almost confident things are gonna get worse before they get better at this point. Waay too much uncertainty in the market.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I wonder about the algorithms and what they mean for the future. Historical returns (especially like the FIRE calculator) make assumptions that really don't account for the high percentage of automated trading we have today...and will probably only continue to increase.

We are sitting on a decent amount of cash that I would like to throw back in, but I am hesitant when I see these 1.5-2% drops in a day. I tell myself that my pension pays all our expenses, and we can certainly weather the equity storm that is brewing, but it's a tough hurdle to get over right now.

 

[jjflyman]

I'm feeling the EXACT same way.

Markets don't tend to drop 5-6% in 2 days (!) based on essentially no real "major" news. The fact this market has is 100% IMHO showing what a casino it has become, indeed.

I long for the "olden" days when buy and sell decisions were being made by real people trading on fundamentals, vs algorithms trading on whether the sun is in the third quadrant of jupiter, the S&P chart is showing a triple lutz inverted backflip pattern, some random politician in Washington tweeting that they are not ordering Chinese take-out for dinner today, or other such malarkey.

This ain't our father's stock market, that's for sure.

That's what I meant by "casino"
You have to ask yourself :
How can something that's been so good for so long, turn so bad so quickly?
On no real news? That sounds like gambling to me.

 

[Free bird]

Looks like a triple bottom reversal. Bada bing bada boom.

 

[target2019]

That's what I meant by "casino"
You have to ask yourself :
How can something that's been so good for so long, turn so bad so quickly?
On no real news? That sounds like gambling to me.

This actually started at the opening of 2018. I'm not wise enough to string together the underlying reasons, or the "news" that affects day-to-day. This will be the norm until there is sustained positive news.

 

[imoldernu]

Soooo happy I have nothing in the market. Not sure this old heart could stand much of this stuff.

 

[jazz4cash]

I'm down 75% today

.....according to Fidelity. Looks like they didn't include my workplace accounts. They don't usually update till 10:30 or so but it was quite a shock when the total popped up.

 

[pb4uski]

That's what I meant by "casino"
You have to ask yourself :
How can something that's been so good for so long, turn so bad so quickly?
On no real news? That sounds like gambling to me.

It is hard for me to think that things have "turned bad so quickly".

VTI closed today a whopping 9% less than its 52 week high (and probably all time high too)... but still 6.4% higher than its 52 week low.... if you think this is "gambling" then I'm not sure if investing in equities is for you.

 

[target2019]

It's a good time to get busy with other activities. There are holidays throughout December for everyone to celebrate.

We've been fortunate to reap seeds sown by in-laws, who have passed in last year. Enough cash and investments coming in to rebalance through most circumstances.

 

[atmsmshr]

.....according to Fidelity. Looks like they didn't include my workplace accounts. They don't usually update till 10:30 or so but it was quite a shock when the total popped up.

You are down 75%

Please tell us specifics if you have not already performed ritual suicide.

 

[Rianne]

After much deliberation, DH/me have decided to quit looking at our portfolio. In essence, forget about it and quit agonizing over it. It will stay put for the next 4 years, as is. We went through the moment of panic and realized we are balanced. There is no better way than to ride this out.

 

[jollystomper]

I have to look at this current volatility in the context of the last 10 years. I am still way up on my equities. I have enough cash to not have to touch them for at least 5 years. In addition, retiring this year + severance/bonus pay + pension income still puts me ahead. So no need to panic. Plus any moves I do make will result in additional capital gains for this year.

I will look at my AA come January, mainly because my actual SWR so far is turning out to be a lot lower than my planning SWR... and, coupled with getting better returns on cash, may be a reason to reduce the equity component of my AA a bit. But that is just my situation and may not apply to others.

 

[jjflyman]

It is hard for me to think that things have "turned bad so quickly".

VTI closed today a whopping 9% less than its 52 week high (and probably all time high too)... but still 6.4% higher than its 52 week low.... if you think this is "gambling" then I'm not sure if investing in equities is for you.

Dow Oct 30 = 26,816
Dow Nov 23 = 24,259
That's what I mean when I said turned bad so quickly

You can play with numbers like "6.4% higher than it's 52 week low" but the fact is most people average in over many months this year, and have bought many shares when they were very high, so they are behind.

Investing in equities is not for me, I am only 5% in the market after many years of investing.
The markets are now way unstable for me, but good luck to you my friend

 

[footenote]

After much deliberation, DH/me have decided to quit looking at our portfolio. In essence, forget about it and quit agonizing over it. It will stay put for the next 4 years, as is. We went through the moment of panic and realized we are balanced. There is no better way than to ride this out.

Thank you for this! While I haven't lost any sleep this week, your note prompted me to remember that we have about 10 years of expenses currently in bonds or cash. No reason to worry about the 40% invested in the market for a while....

 

[Dtail]

You are down 75%

Please tell us specifics if you have not already performed ritual suicide.

Fidelity actually updates the numbers at 5:30pm EST daily.

 

[imoldernu]

Question...
Today, half hour before opening bell... Dow up after disappointing jobs report...(Oct 250K, Nov expected 200K.. Nov. actual 153K.

Until the jobs report came out, the DJ futures showed a drop of $125. when the disappointing jobs report came out, the futures suddenly rose to a positive DJ.

I just don't understand.