We'll Get Through This

“In the 1930s an Ohio lawyer named Benjamin Roth kept a detailed diary about what he saw during the Great Depression. In the late 1930s, when the depression had mostly passed, he summarized a few points he had learned from the debacle. He wrote:

“Business will always come back. It will remain neither depressed nor exalted.”

“The stock market forecasts business in only a limited way. The beginning of a stock market movement usually is caused by the trend of business but in the end the movement is carried too high or too low—by the extreme optimism or despair of human nature.”

“Depression is time of greatest profit. The investor who has liquid funds and the courage to act can lay the basis for great profits.”

It’s silly to compare the last week to the Great Depression – unemployment is near a record low and the market is still up over the last 10 months. It’s also hard to think of a time when sentiment has changed so far, so fast, than the last week. And what’s really silly is to assume that abrupt shift won’t both feed on itself and lead to tangible economic problems.

But let me offer some advice, echoing Benjamin Roth’s lessons from 90 years ago: We’ll get through this.” Click here to continue reading about things to keep in mind.

Source: Collaborative Fund