In an uncertain market, one thing is certain: market declines are an inevitable part of investing. Here are five strategies for riding out the bumps:
1) Stay Calm and Get Professional Advice
• Don’t make any quick moves on your own. Instead, meet with your unit trust consultant.
• Don’t act on the basis of single events.
• Re-examine with your consultant your investment goals, time horizon, risk tolerance and financial circumstances to make sure they remain appropriate.
2) Maintain a Diversified Investment Portfolio
• Work with your consultant to spread your risks.
• Consider selecting a mix of unit trust funds that invests in stocks and bonds. Additionally, keeping an appropriate amount of your portfolio in money market funds and other liquid investments can help you meet short-term needs.
• Include funds that invest outside Malaysia. Various countries still tend to move in different cycles than the Malaysian market.
3) Invest Regularly – In Good and Bad Times
• Avoid moving everything into stocks at the hint of good news – or everything into cash following bad news.
• Consider investing a fixed amount every month or quarter, also known as dollar cost averaging. This way, you don’t have to guess which way the market is going. You also won’t risk the possibility of investing all of your money at the top of the market. (Please note that this strategy of regular investing does not ensure a profit or protect against loss).
4) Invest for Income
• Consider unit trust funds that stress the role of dividends – or bond funds that produce a steady stream of interest payments.
• Income-producing investments can function as a cushion during a down stock market. After all, a dividend is yours whether the stock price is rising or falling.
5) Avoid Jumping In and Out of the Market
• Successful market timing during a bear market is extremely difficult because it requires two near-perfect actions: getting out at the right time and getting back in at the right time. As a result, investors typically end up buying high and selling low.
• One reason it’s difficult: A bear market is not usually characterised by a straight-line decline in stock prices. Instead, the market’s downward trend tends to be jagged – showing bursts of stock price increases and then declines that bring with them corresponding feelings of euphoria and concern.
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