Navigating the Rocky Waters of Uncertainty
March 31, 2023
Dear investors, it seems like we’re in for another ride. The news of regional banks potentially falling like dominos has left many of you feeling anxious and unsure. But don’t worry, we’re here to help you navigate the rocky waters of uncertainty. After all, we’ve survived a pandemic, a Russian invasion, and spiking inflation – we can handle a couple of bank failures, right? So, let’s take a deep breath and remind ourselves that investing comes with risks. But if we stick to our investment plan and focus on timeless principles like diversification (as Nobel laureate Merton Miller used to say, “Diversification is your buddy”), we can weather the storm. So, grab your life jackets, check out the article below from Dimensional.com, and let’s ride out this wave together.
When Headlines Worry You, Bank on Investment
Principles
On Friday, March 10, regulators took control of Silicon Valley Bank as a run on the bank unfolded. Two days later, regulators took control of a second lender, Signature Bank. With increasing anxiety, many investors are eyeing their portfolios for exposure to these and other regional banks.
Rather than rummaging through your portfolio looking for trouble when headlines make you anxious, turn instead to your investment plan. Hopefully, your plan is designed with your long-term goals in mind and is based on principles that you can stick with, given your personal risk tolerances. While every investor’s plan is a bit different, ignoring
headlines and focusing on the following time-tested principles may help you avoid making shortsighted missteps.
- UNCERTAINTY IS UNAVOIDABLE
Remember that uncertainty is nothing new and investing comes with risks. Consider the events of the last three years alone: a global pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, spiking inflation, and ongoing recession fears. In other words, it may have seemed as if
there were plenty of reasons to panic. Despite these concerns, for the three years ending February 28, 2023, the Russell 3000 Index (a broad market-capitalization-weighted index of public US companies) returned an annualized 11.79%, slightly outpacing its average annualized returns of 11.65% since inception in January 1979. The past three years certainly make a case for weathering short-term ups and downs and sticking with your plan. - MARKET TIMING IS FUTILE
Inevitably, when events turn bleak and headlines warn of worse to come, some investors’ thoughts turn to market timing. The idea of using short-term strategies to avoid near-term pain without missing out on long-term gains is seductive, but research repeatedly demonstrates that timing strategies are not effective. The impact of miscalculating your timing strategy can far outweigh the perceived benefits. - “DIVERSIFICATION IS YOUR BUDDY”
Nobel laureate Merton Miller famously used to say, “Diversification is your buddy.” Thanks to financial innovations over the last century in the form of mutual funds, and later ETFs, most investors can access broadly diversified investment strategies at very low costs. While not all risks—including a systemic risk such as an economic recession—can be diversifed away (see Principle 1 above), diversifcation is still an incredibly effective tool for reducing many risks investors face. In particular, diversifcation can reduce the potential pain caused by the poor performance of a single company, industry, or country.1 As of February 28, Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB) represented just 0.04% of the Russell 3000, while regional banks represented approximately 1.70%.2 For investors with globally diversifed portfolios, exposure to SIVB and other US-based regional banks likely was signifcantly smaller. If buddying up with diversifcation is part of your investment plan, headline moments can help drive home the long-term benefts of your approach. When the unexpected happens, many investors feel like they should be doing something with their portfolios. Often, headlines and pundits stoke these sentiments with predictions of more doom and gloom. For the long-term investor, however, planning for what can happen is far more powerful than trying to predict what will happen.
Resources:
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Investment products: • Not FDIC Insured • Not Bank Guaranteed • May Lose Value Dimensional Fund Advisors does not have any bank affiliates.
