Volatile Markets: Don’t Rely on Headlines for Guidance on When to Invest

Falling markets and drastic headlines can tempt individuals to abandon their long-term investing plans. Their thinking might go something like, let’s wait until it’s over, hoping to catch the market at its lowest point before buying in. Or in rising markets, maybe they seek to sell most of their holdings near the peak. However, timing the market is essentially an impossible task as the chart on this page illustrates.