When people hear the words “bear market,” they often feel very scared. But big drops in the market are inevitable, and they usually only last a short time compared to bull markets, which are when the market value goes up. Here at Bitcoin Prime there may be ways to invest and make money even when the market is down.
When the value of assets drops by at least 20%, this is called a bear market.
When the value of investments goes down for a long time, this is called a bear market. When a broad market index falls by at least 20% from its most recent high, this is called a bear market. Bear markets can affect the whole market, like the Dow Jones Industrial Average, as well as individual stocks. Bear markets can hurt even just a single stock. On June 13, 2022, the S&P 500 index went into its first bear market. It’s gone down by more than 21% in a year.
A bear market is when prices drop steadily by at least 20% over a long period of time. This is different from a sudden drop in value. Even though the market has “relief rallies” from time to time, the overall trend is still down. At some point, investors will realize that stock prices have fallen to levels that are good for them, and they will start buying.
A bear market is when investors are pessimistic and don’t trust the market. During a bear market, investors may seem to ignore any good news and keep selling quickly, which drives prices even lower.
Even if investors are worried about a certain stock, it might not affect the market as a whole. But when the market goes down, almost all of the stocks in it start to go down, even if each one has good news and is making more money on its own. This is happening because people are losing faith in the market as a whole.
When the market goes down, here’s what to do with your money:
1. Admit that dollar-cost averaging is a good friend.
Imagine that one of the stocks in your portfolio drops in price by 25%, from $100 per share to $75 per share.
The problem is that almost certainly you are wrong. The $75 share price for that company may not be its lowest point. From its all-time high, it could still fall by at least 50%. Because of this, it is dangerous to try to “time the market” or figure out where the bottom of the market is.
2. Put your money in different places.
Adding more assets to your portfolio so that it has a wide range of different types is also a good idea, whether or not there is a bear market. Buying stocks when they are on sale is one way to do this.
During a bear market, the value of all the companies that make up a certain stock index, like the S&P 500, usually goes down, but not always by the same amount. Because of this, it’s important to have a well-rounded portfolio. Spreading out your investments so that you have some winners and some losers can help you lose less money overall from your investments.
If only you could know who will win and who will lose ahead of time. Most of the time, recessions happen before bear markets or at the same time. During these times, investors usually choose assets that give a more steady return no matter what is going on in the economy.
3. Invest in companies that do well even when the economy is bad.
If you want to add assets to your portfolio that will help it stay stable, you should look for those in industries that often do well even when the market does poorly. When the market is bad, things like consumer staples and utilities tend to do better than stocks or bonds.
4. Consider the big picture while making decisions.
Investors have to show how strong they are when the market goes down. Even though it will be hard to get through these times, history shows that you probably won’t have to wait too long for things to get better. And if you’re investing for a long-term goal, like retirement, the good times will be made up for by the good times in the future. You shouldn’t invest money that you will need soon. Most of the time, “near future” refers to goals you want to reach in less than five years.