Posted by With the pandemic raging in the US this past month the DOW dropped by 18%. The estimates are that the virus could infect over 10 million in the US resulting in a quarter million deaths. As of April 4th the US has 226k confirmed cases. These are some scary numbers. I avoided looking at my investments and did not make any trades this past month. I figured it was already too late for that. My only regret is that I didn’t buy any of the market shorting EFT’s before the big sell-off.
Since I already had 50% of my portfolio in cash, I’m only down by 10%. I have heard the “depression” word being used a few times this past month. The DOW would need to drop by another 7000 points to reach that level. It could happen if things get worse than predicted. Right now I’m just hoping that the DOW can hold above the 20,000 level. The next month will be a critical test for the markets. I will hold off on buying additional shares in my closed end funds until I see the infection rate start to level off.
I have only left the house twice to get groceries in the past month. With every day I stay home, there is an increased risk of getting infected the next time I need to go shopping. Online shopping for groceries is difficult with delivery delays and product shortages. My worries have shifted from losing money in the stock market to making sure there is enough food in the pantry.