market volatility

Determining your risk tolerance before you invest is a lot like choosing a delivery plan for the birth of your child. When the contractions start, even the best-laid plans can go right out the window, because it's impossible to predict how you'll feel watching a chunk of your savings evaporate until it happens.

After last week's latest nauseating bout of volatility, here are several thoughtful strategies to help get the average investor through the storm.

Welcome back, panic! After a few days off, it's back: The Dow fell more than 500 points Thursday morning, and 10-year Treasury rates hit an all-time low below 2%. Read more to find out what's driving the selloff.

Most of the news you've heard over the past couple of weeks has focused on how cataclysmic the big sell-off in stocks has been. But one group of investors should hope that the market keeps on dropping -- and be ready to swoop in to take advantage of the huge bargains that would result. Steering...

It's been quite a bumpy road for the stock market. But as investing is all about staying cool and thinking clearly in a crisis, the recent stock market shock provides plenty of opportunities to show your savvy. Here are three key strategies to help you not just survive, but profit from the shocks.

Investors are always chasing outperformance. We want our stocks to not only do well, but also to perform better than a market index such as the S&P 500. After all, why take on more risk by investing in individual stocks, if you're not going to outperform an index? The last month or so has...

After stocks posted the most volatile stretch of trading since the 1930s last week, the Dow is down about 10% from its May highs. Some feel this is a bad omen. If the market is forward-looking, perhaps the recent sell-off is indicating a second recession. Maybe something worse. It very well could...

Many investors buy when stocks are rising and sell when stocks are falling, but this is backwards. Stocks become more expensive as they rise, and they become cheaper as they fall. Therefore, stocks should become more attractive to investors during bear markets. Hedge fund managers often follow...

As the stock market continues to spook investors, many are fleeing to the safety of bank certificates. Here's why they're looking good now and how to pick the right one for you.

Planning for retirement? Don't panic. Here's why you should ignore the market mayhem: You have complete control over the most important component of your retirement plan -- your contributions.