Urgent Market Update: Take These Four Precautions Today
By Justin Spittler, editor, Casey Daily Dispatch
It’s a bloodbath out there.
The S&P 500 has plunged 11.3% this December. That’s good for its worst December since 1931.
It’s also down 15.3% since the start of September… which makes this one of the worst fourth quarters ever for U.S. stocks. See for yourself.
Year
|
Q4 S&P 500 Return
|
Note
|
1929
|
-28.9%
|
Great Depression
|
1937
|
-23.3%
|
Great Depression
|
1987
|
-23.2%
|
Black Monday
|
2008
|
-22.6%
|
Global Financial Meltdown
|
1930
|
-17.5%
|
Great Depression
|
1931
|
-16.4%
|
Great Depression
|
1941
|
-14.8%
|
World War II
|
1932
|
-14.7%
|
Great Depression
|
2018
|
-16.2%
|
Current
|
1973
|
-10.0%
|
Energy Crisis
|
Notice anything about the other sell-offs on this list?
They all occurred during a major economic or financial crisis. In other words, we could be in the middle of something much more serious than a routine correction.
Of course, the past isn’t always prologue. I can’t guarantee that we’ll see a repeat of 2008 or the Great Depression. But I will say this…
It’s better to be prepared for the worst than to be blindsided. So don’t wait for U.S. stocks to fall another 10% or 15% to take precautions. Act today.
Here are four simple ways to do that.
· Lighten up on your weakest positions. I’m talking about overpriced stocks and heavily leveraged companies. As I’ve said before, these are not what you want to own at this stage in the bull market and economic cycle.
· Hold extra cash. This will cushion you against big losses should stocks keep falling. It will also give you “dry powder” to buy stocks when the next major buying opportunities arise.
· Own physical gold. As we often point out, gold is real money. It has preserved wealth for centuries because it’s a unique asset. It’s durable, easily divisible, and easy to transport.
It has also survived every major financial crisis in history. This makes it the ultimate safe-haven asset.
Investors who take these steps will protect their hard-earned capital… and sleep better over the holiday break.
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