S&P 500 Bear Market: Is Now the Right Time to Buy Stocks?

Loose monetary policy, supply chain chaos, and geopolitical conflict have unleashed inflation the likes of which many consumers have never seen. In turn, macroeconomic uncertainty has sent the stock market into a downward spiral. The S&P 500 fell nearly 21% in the first six months of 2022, leaving the benchmark index in bear market territory. For context, the S&P 500 hasn't delivered such dismal results in the first half of the year since 1970.

For months the Federal Reserve insisted that inflation was transitory, but the central bank has since changed its tune. The Fed has now raised interest rates three times this year, and the latest rate hike was its most aggressive since 1994. Adding all of those variables together, many economists see a recession on the horizon.

Is now the right time to buy stocks?

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Source Fool.com