Yesterday morning, I invested quality time reflecting ahead of my noontime BizNews portfolio webinar hosted monthly for Premium subscribers. Earlier in the day, just hours after promising the opposite, Vladimir Putin fulfilled Joe Biden’s prediction by sending hundreds of thousands of Russian troops across the border to invade neighbour Ukraine.
Although investment markets have long been discounting this probability, asset prices reacted sharply – gold jumping $40 an ounce; oil going above $100 for the first time since 2014; and share markets around the world recording significant losses. It was like the bumpy ride of the past few weeks suddenly hit a huge pothole.
Doubtless the headlines will panic some investors into dumping their shares. That is likely to be the wrong decision. Investing is usually only successful when played as a long game. And as its world champion Warren Buffett continuously reminds us, the real secret is not rocket science: it is simply the ability to tame and control your emotions.
So take his advice and be greedy when everyone else is fearful. Or at the very least, step away and to the side of the panicking crowd. This too shall pass. It always does.
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