April's Rocky Market Ride

Aren’t you glad April is in the rearview?  You survived the showers of rising gas prices, higher interest rates, Russia vs Ukraine, and the only thing not transitioning is this woke world, the supposedly transitory inflation.

You beat mainstream media’s April showers with the best defense against the “Crisis du Jour”…detached awareness.

You didn’t take the news anchors bait and get emotionally charged up about the latest nonsensical narrative.  If you’re like me, you stopped looking for common sense and critical thinking from the herd.  

And by herd I mean the sheep that hang on every word from the White House, the Mouse House, the FOX house, or the House of Pancakes.

As a result, we didn’t fall for the average American investor’s playbook and sell low in a panic.  Only to buy again once CNBC says it’s okay.

No, you didn’t flinch.  You stayed the course and trusted your intuition.  You remembered that pullbacks, corrections, bear markets, and even recessions are part of the deal, part of being an investor.

Here’s the April box score just so you know and can practice your detached awareness.

The NASDAQ has its worst month since October of 2008.  Falling 4% on Friday to cap the month 13% worse.  And its year to date scorecard reflects its worst start ever…down 21% in 2022.

The DOW dropped 5% in April.  For the year the blue chips are off 9%.

And the broader market as measured by the S&P 500 slipping nearly 9% as well.  The five-hundred’s year to date result…13% in the red.

The Dow and 500 marking their worst months since March of 2020.  Come on man, remember that.  Corona Crash.  The market lost a third in four weeks.  And you didn’t even flinch.

It’s not different this time.  Only the names of the Crisis du Jour change.  It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the White House.  What’s going on in your house will determine your long-term investing success.