Tip: Fund Flows. In January 2017, investors added $10 billion to mutual funds, a significant shift from the $56 billion they had taken out of mutual funds the month before.
Source: Investment Company Institute, 2017
According to Yale University’s Crash Confidence Index, only about 27% of investors are confident the stock market will not crash sometime during the next six months.1
But if fear leads investors to avoid the entire investment class, they may limit their potential returns. For example, during the 20-year period ended December 31, 2017, stocks had an average annual return of 8.5%. By comparison, bonds returned 6.1% and cash 2.0% during the same time frame. During that 20-year stretch, stocks outperformed bonds and cash in 14 years out of 20.2
But the stock market is volatile. Between October 9, 2007, and March 9, 2009, the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index shed well over half its value. But then the S&P 500 started clawing its way back and ended 2010 within 20% of the October 9, 2007, close.3
If the impulse to be safe keeps investors out of the stock market, it may also keep them from taking advantage of the potential returns the stock market has to offer.
Fast Fact: Fund Owner. Nearly half of U.S. households — 44% — own shares of mutual funds. That’s an estimated 54.9 million households.
Source: Investment Company Institute, 2017
Cash alternatives — the most conservative of the three investment classes — outperformed stocks and bonds only once during the 20-year period.2
A sound investing strategy considers short-term volatility without losing sight of long-term objectives.
A sound strategy can involve diversifying capital between different classes of investments. That way, under-performance in one type of asset may be offset by the performance of another.
Bear in mind, though, that diversification and asset allocation are approaches to help manage investment risk. They do not eliminate the risk of loss if a security price declines. The asset class that performs best one year may not do so the next. Diversifying your holdings among several different investment types and understanding that asset classes can move in and out of favor may help you manage the risk in your investment portfolio.
Changing Lead
The asset class that performs best one year doesn’t necessarily do so the next.2