A strong U.S. economy helped propel the stock market higher in 2014, continuing the bull run. As a result, many Wall Street strategists remain, not surprisingly, bullish on the U.S. stock market—and they expect the advance to continue.
Just a few weeks into the new year, several financial advisors I spoke with at the recent TD Ameritrade conference in San Diego said they, too, are upbeat about the U.S. market, despite recent market volatility.
While many investors are concerned about the volatility in the markets, along with the unsettling geopolitical events in Russia, the Middle East and elsewhere, these advisors say they continue to speak with their own clients to caution them to stick with their long-term investment plans and not allow these concerns to impact their investment goals.
These advisors also try to calm the fears of their long-term investor clients when it comes to this day-to-day market volatility, explaining that as long as the market continues to climb over time, as it has historically, good investments will appreciate and investors should have nothing to worry about.
Additionally, some advisors are preparing clients for a possible market correction this year. Advisors explain that corrections are healthy and they occur often in normal bull markets, even though we haven’t had one for the S&P 500 Index since the summer of 2011.