MARKET CORRECTION PERSPECTIVE
Adam Turnquist, CMT, Chief Technical Strategist, LPL Financial
Jeffrey Buchbinder, CFA, Chief Equity Strategist, LPL Financial
U.S. equity markets officially entered correction territory last week for the first time in 344 trading days. Tariff uncertainty feeding into economic growth concerns has been the primary catalyst behind the risk-off rotation. The 10% drop — the technical qualifier for a correction — over the last few weeks has been swift and painful, especially given that the selling pressure started from a fresh record high on February 19. However, although the economy has slowed this year as we expected, it has not stopped, and corporate America continues to deliver double-digit earnings growth. The solid fundamental footing supports our thesis that the economy is not entering a recession or a bear market. Historically tight credit spreads further support this view. Our message to investors right now is don’t panic and stay focused on the long term. And remember, volatility also brings opportunity, or as legendary investor Warren Buffet once said, “Bad news is an investor’s best friend. It lets you buy a slice of America’s future at a marked-down price.”