When doing nothing is best
From time to time, stock markets go through periods of uncertainty. This could be down to some poor economic news or perhaps due to a political crisis. The sharp falls that can be experienced at such times are understandably unsettling for investors. They can even tempt some to change their long-term plan by selling their investments. However, stock market volatility does tend to be short lived. Therefore, most experts agree that investors are probably better off sitting tight through these unnerving periods.
Those who sell or delay making new investments when stock markets become uncertain are actually employing a strategy known as ‘market timing’. The intention is often to invest once stock markets have calmed down or to buy when stock markets have gone even lower. This can be a very dangerous strategy.
Sharp falls in stock markets tend to be concentrated in short periods of time. Similarly, the biggest gains are often clustered together. It is also quite common for a large gain to follow a big fall (or vice versa). Accordingly, an investor who tries to anticipate when the best time is to invest runs a very high risk of missing the best gains. This can have a big impact on their long-term return.
To help illustrate this, we have analysed the average annual
return from the UK stock market over the last 15 years. As the chart shows, missing just the ten best days over this period would have cut your annual return substantially. Timing the stock market is extremely difficult, the best policy is usually to stay fully invested over the long term.
