Market seems stable, so what could go wrong?
Jill on Money
If you’ve been thinking that stock markets have been pretty quiet this year, you are right.
Through the first seven months of the year, none of three major stock market indexes has fallen by more than 5 percent. And one gauge of market movement, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which measures investors’ expectation of the ups and downs of the S&P 500 Index over the next month, recently dropped to its lowest level in 24 years. Low readings have tended to be associated with low anxiety and high stock prices.
Amid this environment, what could go wrong? A number of risks to the U.S. and global markets persist. These risks do not mean that long-term investors should change their game plans — rather, they are a reminder to guard against complacency and always approach investing with caution.
Here are the risks to consider.
Federal Reserve proceeds slowly: In her recent testimony, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said, “We are watching inflation very carefully” because it remains so low. Although central bankers have attributed the recent slowdown in prices to temporary factors, Yellen acknowledged that because inflation has been running under the Fed’s 2 percent target, “that there could be more going on.”
Translation: Janet and company are not so sure why inflation is so low, and that lack of clarity might prompt them to keep rates too low for too long.
What’s wrong with low rates, you ask? Besides punishing savers, rock bottom rates can encourage excessive risk taking, as investors seek greater returns in stocks, higher yielding bonds or real estate. As these assets rise in value, bubbles may arise — and, as we know from the past decade, bubbles have a nasty way of popping.
Central banks proceed too quickly: An equally vexing possibility is that the Fed, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Bank of China all raise rates too quickly. In doing so, officials could cause a global stock and bond market selloff or, even worse, a recession.
Political upheaval: Although politics have not impacted markets yet, a ratcheting up of anxiety and uncertainty might very well have a negative impact. That goes for the U.S., the Brexit negotiations and unforeseen events in the rest of the world.
Investor amnesia: When stocks rise, it tends to make you forget about the punishing losses that they can inflict. While bear markets can send you into panic mode, tempting you to sell everything and hide under your bed, bull markets also can be a dangerous time. They can embolden you to assume more risk than you should.
In 2006, I met with a then-client whose net worth had jumped because of a combination of a rising stock market and skyrocketing real estate prices. In his mind, he didn’t have to save more money “because markets are doing the work for me!” You probably can guess what happened.
Markets can go up and down, which is why the best way for you to control your financial destiny is to get on track to save enough money to reach your goals. And, yes, you need to focus on spending, which, according to Larry Stein, CFP of Disciplined Investment Management, “usually has the biggest impact on a financial plan.”
Contact Jill Schlesinger, senior business analyst for CBS News, at askjill@JillonMoney.com.