The word recession throws up a lot of concerning thoughts for investors. From lower customer demand to the prospect of weaker profits, many businesses struggle in recessions. That might sound like it is therefore not a good time to start investing. But actually, I think there are some reasons why a recession can be a good time to begin dipping one’s toes into the stock market.
Buying a company not the market trend
When markets are booming, investors sometimes think their stock picking skill is better than it really is. They may credit their own insight for choosing winners, when in fact a hot stock market just illustrates the old saying that “a rising tide lifts all boats”.
By contrast, when a recession comes and many companies fall in price, some of those former stock market darlings (the shares, not the investors) suddenly do much less well. As famous investor and Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett puts it, “only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked”.
As an investor, my focus is on finding shares in companies that have great long-term business prospects and sell for an attractive price. In a booming market, I think it is easier to mistake overall bullishness for a strong business. That can be a costly mistake.
Quality on sale
But some great companies also see their share prices fall dramatically in a recession. So, why do I still think it can be a good time to start investing?
If a company really is high quality and I continue to see its future prospects as bright, why should a share price fall in a recession concern me? If anything, as long as the long-term business prospects have not fundamentally changed, I simply see it as an opportunity to buy what I wanted before — but for less money.
That can improve my long-term returns. It is no accident that Buffett and many other successful investors have used recessions as an opportunity to shop for quality shares at depressed prices.
Start investing in shares not markets
I also reckon that if one waits for the perfect market condition to start investing, it might never happen. Today people are concerned about a recession. At some point again in future, the same people will be fretting about a bubble. That is how markets work — over time they cycle through both boom and bust.
Remember — I am not trying to buy the whole market. My focus is on building a diversified portfolio of individual shares I think are trading at an attractive price relative to their long-term business prospects. Such opportunities can exist regardless of what is happening in the overall market.
I think I can find such shares even in a recession. If anything, in fact, I reckon a market downturn could offer me even more opportunities to find such opportunities than in a bubble.
A recession can cause real problems even for some excellent businesses, so it is not necessarily the perfect time to start investing. But who knows when the perfect time is until it’s too late? I definitely think that, with the right approach, a recession can be as good a moment as any to start buying shares.
The post Could a recession be the perfect time to start investing? appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
5 stocks for trying to build wealth after 50
Markets around the world are reeling from the current situation in Ukraine… and with so many great companies trading at what look to be ‘discount-bin“ prices, now could be the time for savvy investors to snap up some potential bargains.
But whether you’re a newbie investor or a seasoned pro, deciding which stocks to add to your shopping list can be a daunting prospect during such unprecedented times.
Fortunately, The Motley Fool UK analyst team have short-listed five companies that they believe STILL boast significant long-term growth prospects despite the global upheaval…
We’re sharing the names in a special FREE investing report that you can download today. We believe these stocks could be a great fit for any well-diversified portfolio with the goal of building wealth in your 50’s.
Claim your free copy now
setButtonColorDefaults(“#5FA85D”, ‘background’, ‘#5FA85D’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#43A24A”, ‘border-color’, ‘#43A24A’);
setButtonColorDefaults(“#FFFFFF”, ‘color’, ‘#FFFFFF’);
})()
More reading
Here’s why I own these 2 defensive UK shares!
Could lithium shares help me power through the recession?
If I’d invested £1,000 in this penny stock at the start of 2022, here’s what I’d have now
Should I buy this FTSE 250 tech stock for growth and returns?
I’m taking the plunge and buying Rolls-Royce shares. Here’s why!
C Ruane has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.