You Might Want to Brace for 401(k) Trouble in Near Future

Most fund managers say this current rally is too much, too fast, see turbulence ahead
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 4, 2020 11:00 AM CDT
Skeptical of This Big Market Rally? You're Not Alone
In this March 19, 2020, photo, a pedestrian walks past the New York Stock Exchange.   (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen)

Just because stocks have scrambled nearly all the way back to their record heights doesn't necessarily mean the market is in the clear, per the AP. Stocks have a long history of making big gains within long-term down markets, only for the bottom to give out again. Such mini-, ultimately futile rallies were regular occurrences during the Great Depression, and they've been recurring in some of the most recent downturns. They've happened often enough that Wall Street has a name for them: bear market rallies. While many analysts say they don't expect stocks to fall all the way back to their lows set in March, much of Wall Street says the recent surge of nearly 40% for stocks may be setting investors up for disappointment, with rougher times likely to come.

"There's no question that it's going to be a choppy recovery," says Rich Weiss, chief investment officer of multi-asset strategies for American Century Investments. "I have no doubt there will be setbacks." A little more than two-thirds of fund managers say this is nothing more than a bear market rally, according to the latest monthly survey by Bank of America conducted in May. Doug Ramsey, chief investment officer at Leuthold Group, says the market's recent climb has failed to check off many of the indicators typical of true market bottoms, such as transportation stocks leading the initial stages of the upturn and the S&P 500 dropping below a certain level relative to corporate earnings. One thing that could trip up the rally is a second wave of infections. Read the full story for more.

(More stock market stories.)

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