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Protecting profit is profitable. Protecting fear is not. I keep this phrase on a sticky note below my computer to remind me that investment decisions based upon fear lead to mistakes. I have seen it during the major market meltdowns of 2000-2002 and 2008-2009. I have seen it in smaller drops, like January 2016.

There seems to be little fear of a market drop in 2018. I believe investors may now be protecting from another kind of fear and the consequences may again be surprising.

The Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)—popular among youth today—describes investors worldwide. Stock markets have been so good people are asking, “Am I aggressive enough?”

Excitement and expectations have been rising and there has been a lot of money to be made. In just the first 10 trading days of 2018, the S&P 500 returned almost 5 percent! Worldwide averages were even higher! That is after returning over 30 percent over the last two years for U.S. large company averages. It is as though investors have accepted the massively positive moves as the new normal.

The market does not have to follow the economy perfectly. The market’s performance is also determined by how reality measures up to expectations. So, the most likely thing to go wrong this year may be a failure to meet lofty expectations.

Consider the awesome year-to-date returns. If the “5 percent in 10 trading days” were to continue for the rest of the year, then we would have a return in the S&P 500 of 217 percent! It’s not going to happen.

The best way to prevent a mistake is by not getting caught up in the FOMO. Don’t get too aggressive right when things could slow down.

While I believe a few surprises may cost those throwing caution to the wind, the market is unlikely to experience a major hiccup while the economy is still growing. That leaves us with plenty of reasons to stay invested in 2018.

*Research by SFS. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Dow and S&P 500 indexes are widely considered to represent the overall stock market. One cannot invest directly in an index. Diversification does not guarantee positive results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The opinions and forecasts expressed are those of the author and may not actually come to pass. This information is subject to change at any time, based upon changing conditions. This is not a recommendation to purchase any type of investment.

SFS