empty
17.03.2025 10:32 AM
Are stock investors poised to buy shares during nosedive?

Anything can happen sooner or later. The S&P 500 entered correction territory in just 16 trading sessions. In the previous 24 instances where stocks dropped 10% from recent record highs but avoided a bear market, it took around eight months to recover to all-time highs. This suggests that the broad stock index is unlikely to regain its uptrend before mid-October.

S&P 500 correction trends

This image is no longer relevant

The euphoria that dominated the stock market during the presidential elections in November has now been replaced by pessimism. Investors have realized that events are unfolding differently than they had anticipated. They had envisioned Trump 2.0 as a continuation of Trump 1.0—just like eight years ago, they expected the White House leader to start with tax cuts and deregulation, giving the US economy a boost before pushing it over the edge with tariffs.

In reality, things turned out differently. Import tariffs are not just a negotiation tactic for the Republican leader—he is genuinely committed to bringing factories and production back to the US. This overhaul of a decades-old system is spooking investors, causing them to flee like rats from a sinking ship. As a result, the S&P 500 is not just declining—it is also losing ground to its European and global counterparts.

Economic policy uncertainty is at extreme levels, and markets are questioning whether they can withstand the April 2nd shock when mutual tariffs and import duties on specific industries are set to be announced.

Catching a falling knife?

Should investors buy in a bear market under these conditions? According to surveys by the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII), the proportion of stock market bears has surpassed the number of bulls for the first time in a long while. Financial advisors are unanimously recommending selling equities. Pessimism is extreme, and historically, such moments create perfect buying opportunities. However, now might not be the ideal time, as big players don't seem as scared as the retail investors.

US stock market bull vs. bear sentiment trends

This image is no longer relevant

The S&P 500 downtrend poses a risk to the US economy. A Harvard University study suggests that a 20% drop in the broad stock index in 2025 could reduce GDP growth by 1 percentage point. The reason? The top 10% of wealthy American households account for half of all consumer spending. When market capitalization falls, their wealth declines, leading to sluggish spending.

This image is no longer relevant

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent derines the stock market correction as "normal" and insists that stock indices will thrive due to strong tax policies and deregulation in the long run, but for now, they remain stuck in a downward spiral.

Technical outlook for the S&P 500

On the daily chart, a cluster has formed near the point 5 of the Expanding Wedge pattern. A break above 5,645 would serve as a buy signal for the S&P 500, but short-term gains are likely to be met with selling pressure at resistance levels of 5,670, 5,750, and 5,815.

Marek Petkovich,
Analytical expert of InstaForex
© 2007-2025
Select timeframe
5
min
15
min
30
min
1
hour
4
hours
1
day
1
week
Earn on cryptocurrency rate changes with InstaForex
Download MetaTrader 4 and open your first trade
  • Grand Choice
    Contest by
    InstaForex
    InstaForex always strives to help you
    fulfill your biggest dreams.
    JOIN CONTEST

Recommended Stories

XAU/USD. Analysis and Forecast

Gold prices are maintaining positive momentum for the second consecutive day. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policy and its impact on the global economy continues to weigh

Irina Yanina 19:24 2025-07-10 UTC+2

USD/CHF. Analysis and Forecast

Today, the USD/CHF pair retraced part of its decline from a new weekly low recorded during the Asian session and has temporarily paused its downward movement, stopping short

Irina Yanina 12:26 2025-07-10 UTC+2

Market dupes sellers

The split within the Federal Reserve, NVIDIA's successes, and a successful auction of 10-year US Treasury bonds allowed the S&P 500 to ignore the tariff chaos. Donald Trump announced tariffs

Marek Petkovich 12:02 2025-07-10 UTC+2

What to Watch on July 10th: Fundamental Event Overview for Beginners

Macroeconomic Report Analysis: There are very few macroeconomic publications scheduled for Thursday, and none of them are expected to be significant. So what could traders focus on today? The second

Paolo Greco 09:07 2025-07-10 UTC+2

GBP/USD Overview on July 10, 2025

On Wednesday, the GBP/USD currency pair maintained its downward movement, which is corrective in nature and could end at any moment. The price remained below the moving average line

Paolo Greco 07:26 2025-07-10 UTC+2

EUR/USD Overview on July 10, 2025

The EUR/USD currency pair continued to trade very calmly on Wednesday. The pair maintained a slight downward bias, as we've noted in all of our recent articles. However, the current

Paolo Greco 07:16 2025-07-10 UTC+2

USD/CAD. Analysis and Forecast

Today, the USD/CAD pair is showing signs of recovery, rising toward the 1.3700 level and approaching the weekly high reached earlier. Fundamental factors point to bullish dominance and the potential

Irina Yanina 12:46 2025-07-09 UTC+2

Markets unfazed by Trump's new tariff threats

Donald Trump's bark is louder than his bite. Markets have grown so accustomed to his rhetoric that the S&P 500 barely flinched at the White House's latest threat to slap

Marek Petkovich 11:53 2025-07-09 UTC+2

AUD/USD. Analysis and Forecast

The AUD/USD pair is holding steady at current levels with a bullish bias but limited movement following the release of inflation data from China—Australia's key trading partner. In June

Irina Yanina 11:35 2025-07-09 UTC+2

USD/JPY. Analysis and Forecast

On Wednesday, the Japanese yen extended its decline for the third consecutive day, pushing the USD/JPY pair to a new two-week high above the key 147.00 level during the Asian

Irina Yanina 11:23 2025-07-09 UTC+2
Can't speak right now?
Ask your question in the chat.
Widget callback
 

Dear visitor,

Your IP address shows that you are currently located in the USA. If you are a resident of the United States, you are prohibited from using the services of InstaFintech Group including online trading, online transfers, deposit/withdrawal of funds, etc.

If you think you are seeing this message by mistake and your location is not the US, kindly proceed to the website. Otherwise, you must leave the website in order to comply with government restrictions.

Why does your IP address show your location as the USA?

  • - you are using a VPN provided by a hosting company based in the United States;
  • - your IP does not have proper WHOIS records;
  • - an error occurred in the WHOIS geolocation database.

Please confirm whether you are a US resident or not by clicking the relevant button below. If you choose the wrong option, being a US resident, you will not be able to open an account with InstaForex anyway.

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this message.