Contributed by: Angela Palacios, CFP®
In late January the Dow Jones Industrial Average eclipsed a much awaited level of 20,000. Many investors are left wondering “Does this mean I should buy or should I sell?” Depending on who you listen to, you could get very conflicting answers. Valuations are in the eye of the beholder. Depending on the metrics you utilize to judge valuations the markets can look overvalued to even slightly undervalued. Perhaps a history lesson of Dow milestones is in order.
Dow 2,000
30 years ago on January 8th, 1987 the Dow first hit 2,000. Many felt that the Dow would likely take a breather and trade sideways for a while. Eight months later, however, the Dow nearly reached 2,800! Little did investors know that later in October the Dow would experience a day that would live on in infamy: Black Monday.
The Dow went on to finish the year out positively.
Dow 10,000
At the height of the dotcom bubble in March 1999, the Dow eclipsed 10,000 and shortly thereafter, 11,000. The excitement was palpable. I recall this very vividly as I had just started my career. No one wanted to even think about owning bonds in their portfolio even though the ten year treasury was paying a rate of 6% (wouldn’t that be nice!). The next three years the DOW experienced a gut wrenching drop back below 7,000.
Dow 15,000
You probably don’t even remember headlines from this milestone reached in early 2013 as investors still didn’t believe in the bull market run after living through the depths experienced in March 2009. This market, as you know has quietly proceeded to hit the 20,000 mark less than four years later.
Dow 20,000
That brings us full circle back to today. Many industry professionals have welcomed this milestone with indifference. Milestones contain exactly zero information regarding what the future holds for the market. What I do know, is that excitement is not palpable like the euphoria experienced back in the late 90’s. Regardless of whether or not you traded brilliantly around these milestones, sticking to your investment discipline and simply staying invested through the time periods from Dow 2,000 to Dow 20,000 has created some handsome returns regardless of the bumps along the way. Who would have thought back in 2009 when the Dow was trading right around 7,000 at its low we would be celebrating Dow 20,000 just 8 short years later?
Angela Palacios, CFP® is the Director of Investments at Center for Financial Planning, Inc.® Angela specializes in Investment and Macro economic research. She is a frequent contributor The Center blog.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index used to measure the daily stock price movements of 30 large, publicly owned U.S. companies. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor's results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. This content does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Investing involves risk, investor may incur a profit or loss regardless of the strategy or strategies employed.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index used to measure the daily stock price movements of 30 large, publicly owned U.S. companies. Keep in mind that individuals cannot invest directly in any index, and index performance does not include transaction costs or other fees, which will affect actual investment performance. Individual investor's results will vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. This content does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Investing involves risk, investor may incur a profit or loss regardless of the strategy or strategies employed.