Cycle of investor emotions
Ride the wave
When things are great, we feel that nothing can stop us. And when things go bad, we look to take drastic action. Because emotions can be such a threat to an investor's financial health, it is important to know how to keep your head above water in the cycle of investor emotions.
You can't stop the wave, but you can learn to surf
Click on an emotion to learn more about how it affects investment choices.
Optimism
Excitement
Thrill
Euphoria
Denial
Anxiety
Fear
Depression
Panic
Capitulation
Despondency
Skepticism
Hope
Relief
Optimism
Investors typically start with optimism, which sits at the inflection point on the emotional upswing. We commonly expect things to go our way, or we expect to receive a return for the risk of investing. We go into the markets because we believe we will be able to grow our wealth through our investment choices.
Excitement
When markets move in the direction we had hoped to see, we start to get excited about the possibility of even greater gains.
Thrill
When the momentum continues, we find the experience thrilling and begin to anticipate even higher returns.
Euphoria
This is the point of maximum financial risk.
As markets reach the top of the cycle, investors may experience euphoria. We start to think that we made a smart move to invest when we did, and we believe that the good times will continue unchecked. We may even fool ourselves into believing we can tolerate higher levels of risk—and may begin to trade more frequently or invest in riskier asset classes.
Denial
The second phase of the cycle occurs when the market starts to turn. At first, we watch to see if the downturn is just a blip. We may believe that things will improve shortly and therefore hang on to our investments.
Anxiety
As the markets continue to fall, denial gives way to anxiety. Investment values decline perhaps even to the point that we begin to see losses. Reality sets in that maybe we weren’t as smart as we thought.
Fear
When market losses accelerate, real fear kicks in. Some investors may then turn defensive
and switch out of riskier equities to more defensive equities or other asset classes such as bonds.
Depression
In the third phase of the cycle, the realities of a bear market come to the fore and an investor may become depressed and desperate.
Panic
Many of us missed our chance to take profits, and we may try to get our positions back into the black by either selling our worst-performing investments or moving into securities that don’t fit our risk profile. When that doesn’t work, panic sets in.
Capitulation
At this point, we feel at the mercy of the market and some of us pull out altogether, abandoning investments at precisely the wrong time.
Despondency
This is the point of maximum financial opportunity.
Those who remain invested may become despondent and wonder whether they should ever have invested their hard-earned money in the markets.
Skepticism
In the fourth phase of the cycle, investors may experience some skepticism when markets start to rise. We often have a sense of caution or worry, wondering if market growth will last.
Hope
Though investors are hopeful about continued market increases, we may still be reluctant to invest money—even at a point when prices are still relatively low and opportunities are attractive.
Relief
Eventually we come to realize that the market is recovering. For those investors who let their emotions rule their investment decisions, the market cycle can begin all over again.
We've ridden these waves before
Hover on stages of past market cycles to learn about historical market returns and to provide perspective about the emotions you're feeling now.
Investors have been optimistic, excited, thrilled, and euphoric in past market cycles
Market Cycle #1: Nov 1971 - Dec 1972
+30%
• Inflationary pressures, Productivity improvements • Rapid corporate earnings growth • Introduction of paperless technology
Market Cycle #2: Aug 1984 - Aug 1987
+136%
• Credit boom • Strong world economic growth
Market Cycle #3: Apr 1997 – Sep 2000
+99%
• Tech boom. Investor exuberance. • Emergence of ‘new economy’ sectors
Market Cycle #4: Jun 2005 – Jul 2007
+28%
• UK house prices hit highs • Credit boom • Higher interest rates
Market Cycle #5: Jan 2015 – Dec 2019
+40%
• Return to full employment in U.S. • Optimism rises with U.S. tax cuts • Trade war creates volatility in 2018 • 2019 Fed rate cuts extend the cycle
Investors have been in denial, anxious, and fearful in past market cycles
Market Cycle #1: Jan 1973 – Jan 1974
-15%
• OPEC Oil crisis – crude oil prices tripled. • Credit squeeze • Property company failures
Market Cycle #2: Sep 1987
-2%
• Irrational shareholder sentiment • Peak of overinflated stock values vs historical PEs
Market Cycle #3: Oct 2000 – Sep 2001
-28%
• Tech bubble burst • September 11 terrorist attack
Market Cycle #4: Aug 2007 – Sep 2008
-17%
• Credit crunch. Sub-prime mortgage crisis. Collateralized debt obligation (CDO) failures • Lehman Brothers declares bankruptcy
Investors have been skeptical, hopeful, and relieved in past market cycles
Market Cycle #1: Feb 1974 – Nov 1974
-24%
• Global recession • Extended bear market
Market Cycle #2: Oct 1987 – Nov 1987
-28%
• 1987 Global stock market crash
Market Cycle #3: Mar 2002 – Feb 2003
-22%
• Reduced global economic growth forecasts • Extended bear market • Corporate accounting scandals
Market Cycle #4: Oct 2008 – Feb 2009
-37%
• Global financial crisis • European and U.S. recessions. Negative real GDP reported for major developed countries in Q4 2008
Investors have been depressed, panicked, capitulating and despondent in past market cycles.
Market Cycle #1: Dec 1974 – Jun 1975
+39%
• Stock market recovery despite recession
Market Cycle #2: Dec 1987 – Dec 1989
+64%
• Stock market recovery as value hunters sought to buy quality stocks cheaply
Market Cycle #3: Mar 2003 – May 2005
+52%
• Geopolitical uncertainty • Refocus on world economic fundamentals • Boom in resources in response to industrialization of China
Market Cycle #4: Mar 2009 – Dec 2015
+225%
• Global stock market recovery • Deleveraging, slow economic growth
