Even though the market has dropped for four straight days, with losses on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (#DJIA) yesterday exceeding 200 points, it still isn’t time to panic. It would appear that, once again, the turmoil is principally related to the unrest in the Ukraine, with additional worries about stagnating growth in China.
The bottom line to me is that all of this is simply noise. What investors should must focus on is that economic growth in this country is modest but stable. The Federal Reserve remains committed to a slow and steady program of tapering their bond buying program while maintaining low interest rates well into 2015. And the federal government has managed to create a budget compromise that means stability for the next two years. All of this suggests that the market should continue to move generally higher, albeit in fits and starts.
So what should investors be doing? You should be maintaining whatever allocation you have to equities, and buying quality positions on dips. Look to add to the defense, transportation, technology and medical sectors. I would also look at industrials, agriculture and banking as well. Bond-like investments in REITs, BDCs and even utilities can add additional yield to certain portfolios.
I’m not suggesting that anyone take on more risk than they’re comfortable with. Everyone should be invested such that they can sleep at night. That being said, I believe that this is still a good time to be invested in the stock market; it’s not time to sell.