Is it time to quit the share market?
There are a lot of things to worry about for investors in the share market. The coronavirus is causing a lot of trouble in China and has caused half the country to go into lockdown. We've already heard from a few businesses like Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) tell us that they're expecting lower earnings in FY20 because of the disruption.
At the start of the year we almost saw a war start between the US and Iran. For most of Donald Trump's presidency we've had the trade war. There's the distinct possibility that Bernie Sanders could win the Democrat nomination and then the US election this year, which could cause quite a bit of volatility of share prices.
The bushfires have ravaged areas of Australia, causing a hit to some Australian businesses and causing devastation for the people who live there.
And yet, despite all of the above, the All Ordinaries (ASX: XAO) is up 5.1% since the start of the year and it's close to its all-time high.
If you sell every time there's trouble then you could miss out on gains, significant gains. The share market keeps marching higher over time.
Think about the last decade of surprising or alarming events. Brexit, Donald Trump's win, ISIS, North Korea, Greece's troubles at the start of the decade, Gangnam Style, Australia's property market decline and so on. The share market is at highs despite all of this.
There's always something to worry about. Ignore the noise.
I think the best investment strategy is to stay invested in high-quality ASX shares for the long-term.
