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Still Sure Indexing is Right for You?

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I have been warning investors of the dangers of indexing for some time. With correlations among assets down near all-time lows, it is only a matter of time before something has to give. Now what seemed like a safe bet has become a volatile up-and-down roller-coaster ride for investors. The Editorial Board of The Wall Street Journal writes:

Life Comes at You Fast. Slow It Down with My Friday Email. It’s Free.

Stocks bounced back Wednesday, but before that the tech-heavy Nasdaq had slumped 12% since its August peak. Falling FAANG stocks—Facebook , Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google parent Alphabet—have swung the S&P 500 into a correction zone. Netflix tumbled 21% and Amazon fell 20% in October. Texas Instruments, IBM and Nvidia have also seen substantial stock price declines.

A tech revaluation was perhaps inevitable as prices leapt over earnings like LeBron James over Kevin Durant. Amazon’s stock in September was trading at nearly 160 times earnings, which wasn’t going to last. But what makes this month’s tech sale so jarring is that it comes amid strong quarterly earnings growth.

The alternative to indexing is, of course, selecting individual securities to meet your goals.

 

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.

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