Inflation is running rampant, gas prices are skyrocketing, commodity prices are soaring, and the Federal Reserve is preparing to raise interest rates. With that backdrop, the economy is looking more fragile today than it has at any time in recent memory, and it's understandable why people might be reluctant to take too many risks with their money these days.
The S&P 500 is down 12%, putting it officially in correction territory, and with the prospect that things could get worse, putting money into the stock market may be the last thing you want to do. That could be a mistake.
Since the end of World War II, the benchmark S&P 500 has tumbled 10% or more over two dozen separate times. But it's important to keep such pullbacks in perspective. The Schwab Center for Financial Research says the average bear market has lasted only about 17 months, and 80% of corrections since 1974 have not turned into a bear market.
Source Fool.com