Making the Most of Market Volatility: How Keeping Cash in Your Portfolio Can Help
The stock market is a volatile place, and it can be difficult to know how to navigate it. Keeping cash in your portfolio can be a great way to make the most of market volatility and protect your investments. In this article, we’ll discuss understanding market volatility and the benefits of keeping cash in your portfolio.
I. Understanding Market Volatility
Market volatility is the degree of uncertainty or risk associated with the size of changes in a security’s value. It is measured by calculating the standard deviation of the annualized returns over a given period of time. Volatility can be caused by a variety of factors, including economic news, political events, and changes in investor sentiment.
Volatility can be beneficial for investors who are looking to capitalize on short-term price movements. However, it can also be a source of risk for those who are looking to invest for the long-term. When markets are volatile, it can be difficult to predict which direction prices will move, making it difficult to make informed decisions.
II. Benefits of Keeping Cash in Your Portfolio
Keeping cash in your portfolio can be a great way to make the most of market volatility. Cash provides a buffer against losses and can be used to take advantage of opportunities when prices are low. It also allows you to remain flexible and take advantage of short-term price movements.
Cash can also be used to diversify your portfolio. By having a portion of your portfolio in cash, you can reduce your overall risk and protect yourself from losses in the event of a market downturn. This can be especially beneficial for those who are looking to invest for the long-term.
In my long portfolios such as Stash Investing App, if I’m doing $10 a week in mixed diversified stocks and etfs I always try to put $5/week towards portfolio cash. Stocks go up and down and even when your dollar cost averaging over time you pick 10 stocks and etfs 2 out the 10 will probably be in the red in the shorter term. I usually will allow it to average out over time, sometimes I just up the ante and start putting more towards that one weekly but other times I use that portfolio cash to average down by buying much more of it.
III. Cash is a position too!
Most brokers require some time for funds to settle when you deposit cash into your portfolio before you actually start making purchases with that cash. In order to have the means to buy something quickly one bad news day which usually results in over reaction of the news allow a stock to be priced in at a bargain buy you need to have portfolio cash.
When investing long term, day trading and swing trading to be successful you need apply rules for yourself. Examples of rules are exiting positions that go down X% amount or taking profits when gaining X%. For long positions I usually will let things average out until something I’m holding is -15% then I buy more with portfolio cash to help my average price and often times will increase my reoccurring buy amount. Once I’m down 30% or more I really look at if I want to keep it or double down on it.
When I say double down on something for example if I have $200 worth of shares I’m going to buy double that and throw $400 at giving me a net value of $600 shares in that stock or ETF. Always trade and invest smart. Sometimes its better to cut your losses when you was wrong. Nobody buys when they think an investment will significantly go down. There comes times when it’s very feasible to cut your losses for tax purposes to offset capital gains owed from the sell of other investments you’ve profited off of.
By having portfolio cash on hand, you can take advantage of buying opportunities when prices are low and sell when prices are high. This can help you maximize your returns and minimize your losses. Never fall in love with any stock. There are companies I absolutely despise but if the opportunity arises that I think its a value buy at share price and I can make money off of it I’ll most likely jump on the opportunity. On the flipside of that there is just as many stocks that I really like but have no position in because I like to wait for an opportunity of getting value out of my investment.
In conclusion, keeping cash in your portfolio can be a great way to make the most of market volatility. Cash provides a buffer against losses and can be used to take advantage of opportunities when prices are low. It also allows you to remain flexible and take advantage of short-term price movements. By having a portion of your portfolio in cash, you can reduce your overall risk and protect yourself from losses in the event of a market downturn.
