What Goes Up Must Come Down

     The nature of the Stock market historically is that over short periods of time it goes up and down but over the long haul it always goes up.  During the first week of February the Stock Market went down 10.4% which officially put it in correction territory.  My personal portfolio lost 9.3%  Did I worry?  No of course not because I know it will bounce back over time.  The market needs to blow of a little steam every once in a while so I consider the 10.4% drop a good thing.
     The current market has been going up for a very long time.  If one looks at the Stock market realistically, it's been in an upward spiral since the recession bottomed in 2009.  The period from 2009 through 2018 is the longest bull market in history.  So like I said " a 10% correction is nothing".  Think of the stock market as a balloon.  Keep blowing into that balloon and it will get bigger but with out moderation it eventually will pop.  You have to let a little air out of the balloon every once in a while to keep things safe.
  For the total 2018 physical year the Dow Jones lost 5.6 percent while the S and P 500 lost 6.2 percent.  By the end of 2019 not only had I made that 9.3% loss back but added another 9.6% and when you figure in interest and dividends that adds about another 3% for a years return on Capital of 22%.  Years like 2019 don't come along very often.  I don't expect 2020 to near as good but a very good year at that.  But like I said "What Goes Up Must Come Down"