As we finish the end of the first half of 2022, the number one question I am hearing is, "When are we going to see the stock market reach the bottom?" In spite of recent volatility, my answer remains the same: rather than timing the markets, focus on time IN the market.
Bears and bulls are locked in a cage match, while the lions are waiting on the sidelines. Bears are saying that the Fed's rate-increase cycle will lead to a recession, dragging stocks even lower. Bulls are finding reasons for optimism, such as lower used-car prices and generally solid first-quarter corporate earnings. Lions know that waiting patiently avoids having to bet on one or the other.
There's no doubt that stocks have been gut-punched in the first half of 2022, and the bear bandwagon seems crowded. But Wall Street has a resilience of its own. Meanwhile, history has shown us that time IN the markets, not timing the markets, remains the wisest way to go.
Knowing that patience rewards the lion, we will continue to watch the bulls and bears tire themselves out, remembering that we can have the strength and confidence of a lion while calmly waiting IN the markets, observing the fact that no one has a crystal ball to the future.
Are you a bull or a bear in the volatility cage match, or perhaps.... a lion?
Crystal Smithers
LionCrown Wealth Management