We Don't See Any Change In Last 15 Days That Would Spook Markets

If you own stocks, we will venture out on a limb and say Wednesday was not fun. The S&P 500 fell -3.3%, its fifth straight decline.[i] Most European gauges fell, too. The S&P 500 is now down -4.9% in price terms since September 20, its most recent high, nearly halfway to correction territory.[ii] Whenever stocks fall fast, the urge to flee can be strong, but we think it is wrong—even dangerous—for those needing long-term growth to reach their financial goals. If you sell after a drop, and stocks bounce before you reinvest, you have locked in losses and missed a chance to recover quickly. That can be an unnecessary setback. So in our view, at times like this, the best thing investors can do is take a breather and think critically about whether anything has fundamentally changed for the worse since stocks' decline began.