As autumn leaves cascade around us and pumpkins eerily grin in every window, the chilling October winds also brought a spell of trepidation to the Wall Street. The stock market ended the month on a frightfully wicked note, causing jitters and cold sweats to even the bravest of investors – potentially turning the sweet treat of market gains into a Halloween scare for some.
The scare, it seemed, was initiated by the ghost of inflation that haunted the economy’s otherwise healthy recovery. With supply chains clogged worldwide, prices across the board skyrocketed, haunting both businesses and consumers alike. These ghoulish forces set the stage for a shock to the stock market as the month drew to a close.
Exacerbating this melodrama was the Federal Reserve’s creeping decision around tapering off its pandemic-era bond-buying program. Despite intended to suck some excess liquidity out of the economy, this decision spooked Wall Street goblins and rattled investors, manifesting in a concurrently downward trend in the market.
Leading the macabre dance of declining stocks was the technology sector. Tech shares, with their soaring values, were slammed harder as investor sentiment turned bearish. This sector, which has been the darling of the cheap money era, trembled under the specter of higher interest rates that could potentially crimp future profits.
Simultaneously, real estate and energy sector stocks also caught the fear bug, with shares tumbling as investors fled for safer havens. Anxiety surrounding higher borrowing costs and overall uncertainty around the economy turned the attraction of these traditionally stable sectors into an illusionary prospect for investors.
The stock market’s ghoulish performance in October was not merely confined to the United States. Investors around the world felt chills down their spines as markets globally echoed U.S distress signals. European and Asia-Pacific stocks also took a hit, with a whoosh here and a swoosh there, adding more horror to the global financial markets.
However, despite the scares, it’s prudent to remember that the stock market is not immune to the frightful sentiments of October. Over the last century, October has notoriously been known as the month of volatility. The market has historically worn a cloak of uncertainty during this period, marking the advent of some of the most notorious crashes, like the Great Depression of 1929 and the Black Monday of 1987.
In the labyrinth of scary headlines and falling numbers, it’s essential to hold our nerve. History also reveals that after
