“Don’t panic” and “Invest when markets are down” is usually easier said than done. Going through volatile markets can feel like a really long time, but when zoomed out, it is but a mere blip in history.

News cycles can be negative, while the stock market continues to trend upwards in 2023. Market sell-offs tend to feed upon itself, culminating in a few days of intense losses — but this is always temporary. Most of the time, bad years are followed by good recovery years.

The longer your investment horizon, the higher your chances of getting a positive investment return. But exactly how long are we talking about? Using one of our portfolios as an example, let’s take a look at some numbers.

In the Global Stock Market, when the holding timeframe increases (especially past 10 years), the probability that you’ll walk away with a positive return increases with it, steadily making its way up, and eventually settling at 100%.

The stock market is bound to collapse eventually. It’s just a matter of when.