History Lesson

It was the result of another bubble bursting (in Silicon Valley, not housing). In 2 1/2 years (early 2000 through late 2002) the S&P 500 fell by 50.5%. Investors felt massive pain and many took dramatic action by getting out of the market. That was the right emotional decision in their minds at the time (because they didn’t want to take any more pain) but it backfired financially.

After a 2 1/2 year bear market, the S&P 500 bottomed in October 2002 and rose by 105.1% over the next 5 years. Those investors who stuck with the market and even added to their investments as prices dropped reaped huge rewards. Those who exited the market out of fear missed out.

With the market down more than 35% in the last year, what should investors do now? For the answer all we need to do is look at history. About 97% of all five year periods have seen the stock market go up, as have nearly 100% of all 10-year periods. If you are a long term investor (5 year time horizon or more by my standards) the numbers imply you should stay in the market.

You may have noticed that Warren Buffett has been very active in the market in recent weeks, investing billions of dollars. Is he crazy? No, he simply knows that when prices drop significantly there are bargains to be had. Future stock price returns are going to be higher during bear markets than bull markets because prices are lower. It isn’t any different from buying a house, a car, or a cart of groceries. When things go on sale, we should buy more of them. Have you ever been to the store, seen your favorite cereal on sale, and bought a couple extra boxes than normal because of the price? I know I have.

Stock investing shouldn’t be any different than grocery buying. It is true that it all sounds so simple, but isn’t because emotions and psychology come into play more with stocks. Warren Buffett has the perfect temperament for the market, so he can step in and buy when everyone else is selling. His famous quote is "be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy" and he is acting on that principle through all of this.

It is not an easy thing to do, though. Most people want to get out of stocks right now, not sit tight or buy more. That is what their emotions are telling them to do. Unfortunately, it is not the right decision to make for an investor who has the time to wait things out for several years.

I will conclude with a story. During the first week of October 2002 I wrote a letter and sent it out to about three dozen friends and family members. I explained that the stock market was very depressed but that there were tremendous investment opportunities out there. I made the case that allocating money with Peridot Capital at that time would likely prove very profitable over the coming years.

Guess how many people invested new money with me? None. The responses were predictable, although I had hoped some would take me up on my offer. Many recipients simply ignored the letter completely. Some responded by telling me that they had sworn off the market after they had lost so much. One declined my offer by explaining "As you know, this is not the easiest environment to lure potential investors." Very true, but ironically, it was the perfect time to do so.

A week after I sent out that letter, the S&P 500 index bottomed out at 768.63 on October 10, 2002. Over the next five years the market more than doubled and reached an all-time high of 1,576.09 on October 11, 2007.

So my bear market advice in as few words as possible would be:

1) If you have a 5-10 year investment time horizon, or longer, do not sell your stocks simply because prices have fallen significantly and it is scary to watch the daily market swings and read the dire news headlines.

2) If you have the financial means, and are comfortable doing so, adding to your investments during times like these will most likely prove very profitable as long as you can take a long term view on the investment.

3) Don’t pay attention to the daily market volatility and headlines if you don’t have to. If you are investing for 5 or 10 years, who cares what the market does today, this week, or this month? It’s irrelevant. Warren Buffett often says that he wouldn’t care if the market shut down for a few years and reopened because he is confident in the long term prospects of the stocks he owns.