Against many odds, the stock market not only survived a pandemic, but thrived in 2020, making it a tough year to navigate for investors.
A prescient call came on Feb. 24 from Chris Weston, head of research at Australian foreign exchange broker Pepperstone, who had this warning for his clients: “If we see [S&P 500] price head through 3,200, then it will lead to even higher volatility and risk of a 10% drawdown. The bulls need to defend this level or it’s good night Vienna.”
And after flagging a potential rout to come for technology stocks in late January, Tony Dwyer, a longtime bull and strategist at brokerage Canaccord Genuity, correctly said on Mar. 13 that the bulk of the stock selloff had happened, and a bounce was coming.Examining the past proved useful for followers of Michael Batnick, director of research at Ritholtz Wealth Management. On Mar.
And there were other forecasters who called one of the last notable selloffs of 2020. Analysts at Longview Economics, a London-based research firm, warned that the rally from September lows was looking “tired,” while Miller Tabak’s Maley predicted another “downleg” from the September correction.It was a challenging and rewarding time to be a stock picker in 2020.
The best call in 2020 was also the easiest, don’t sell.
I made a killing.