As an investor, I know I’m supposed to prefer market volatility and bear markets so I can buy ETFs & stocks at lower prices. And I understand this usually comes together with an economic recession, which poses retrenchment and other types of risks that I should accept with my investing approach. This is the objective and logical way to think about it. But we know the human mind doesn’t always work like that.
Which is why I have to say I’m liking this economic recovery, even with the consequential higher stock and property markets prices. It feels more stable and people are in a better mood when their jobs are more secure and their investments are doing well. There’s a nice rhythm and it’s even more obvious when work winds down in the months of Nov and Dec as people spend more during the festive season. It seems like 2017 is turning out to be a better year than 2016 as we try to end on a higher note.
It has actually been a busier year at work for both of us due to our respective divisional restructuring exercises and the expansion of our job scopes. We were probably under more stress and pressure as a result. But it still beats having to leave a toxic workplace (at the end) and trying to settle into a new work environment that I went through last year. Same goes for my wife as she had the opportunity to step into a higher level job role to prove herself. Plus her remuneration reward for working harder this year is better than what she got last year.
When the payoffs from our jobs in the financial, professional and personal sense are still much higher than the payoffs from our investments, it’s natural for us to wish for better economic conditions. It makes for a vibrant job market with more opportunities to try out new & interesting roles and you are better paid as well. And there’s dividends from the ETFs and stocks to look forward to as well since they are less likely to get cut. I’m going to enjoy the good times while they last!