There has been a lot of economic doom and gloom talk over the last couple months, with media “expert” after media “expert” saying the US economy is about to fall into a recession. It comes with the predictable warnings about a bad bear market. The vast majority of these talking heads are just voicing opinions based on their own views and often get emotional when voicing their perspective. The problem with these “experts” is there very little in the way of factual economic data to support any of their positions.

Understand that investing is not an activity that benefits from either uninformed opinion or emotions. In fact, the opposite is true – uniformed opinions and emotional decision making often cause grief to investors.

Success in the investment game is primarily about WHAT IS, not WHAT IF. What IF is the progenitor of fear and greed, arguably the cause of more financial grief than Alan Greenspan (that was a market nerd joke). What IS, by definition, restricts consideration and decision to the facts at hand.

I’m sure you’ve gone to a doctor at some point in your life because you had a cold – runny nose, sore throat, a bit of fever, maybe some aches and pains. Has the doctor ever said, “What if this isn’t a cold? What if this is pneumonia? What if one of your lungs is collapsing? Could it be that you have cancer? Maybe you are sniffling because you are about to fall victim to a hemorrhagic fever and the bleeding has started in your sinuses? Maybe you are achy because you are going to come down with Dengue Fever? Is it possible this is Malaria?

Do you believe the doctor could effectively manage your condition if the diagnostic conversation was about What IF rather than What IS?

Investing is no different. Any effective conversation or action has to be about What IS. What IF is basically irrelevant.

So, let’s look at What IS.

At the most recent reading, the Recession Probability Indicator is cruising along at a steady 12, meaning the overall investment environment continues to be stable. That is subject to change, but for right now there is no recession on the horizon and in fact several key areas of the economy strengthened in the most recent month. If you aren’t familiar with the RPI, CLICK HERE to see how well it works.

Manufacturing, responsible for about 30{1b789970f5b587cdad7e2a0d5c032cbf2e438ab9022fea5c2ba3cf7af142fa35} of our economy, moved back into expansion mode last month for the first time since last fall and the non-manufacturing sector of the US economy also strengthened a bit, which is good news for the other 70{1b789970f5b587cdad7e2a0d5c032cbf2e438ab9022fea5c2ba3cf7af142fa35} of our economy.

A reminder – just because there is no recession doesn’t mean the market can’t go up and down, but that history vastly favors those who stay invested despite volatility, as long as there is no recession imminent.

If you’d like some evidence, take a look at the facts– Why Recessions Kill Investment Portfolios.

Fear helps the media sell advertising and brokers increase commissions, but it doesn’t help your investment portfolio get you to retirement with the assets you need to live the way you want to.

The point? Don’t let short term noise get in the way of a solid investment plan. Only impending recessions should do that.

For those interested, here is a link to the most recent Business Conditions Report by the American Institute of Economic Research– CLICK HERE.

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To Smarter Investing,

Dak Hartsock
Chief Market Strategist
ACI Wealth Advisors, LLC.
Process Portfolios, LLC.