Just look at the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), which measures how volatile investors expect the market to be over the next 30 days.
It’s up 89% since the start of the year. Last week, it hit the highest level since 2016.
Investors aren’t used to this. After all, last year was the least volatile year ever for U.S. stocks. That lulled many investors to sleep. It led them to take risks they would normally never take.
Now, those same people are wondering what to do. They aren’t sure if this is just a run-of-the-mill pullback…or the start of something much worse.
To help answer this question, I called up Doug Casey. I knew he would have an interesting take on this matter…
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Justin: Doug, U.S. stocks took a beating recently. Where do you see things going from here?
Doug: Well, I hate to make a firm prediction of timing. The fact that things have held together, against all odds, since 2009, has underlined the old saying about just because something is inevitable doesn’t mean it’s imminent. Predictions of disaster, and all these things unwinding, have been wrong over the last half a decade. And the smart bet is always for muddling through, in the direction of progress. But it seems that we’ve finally reached a peak, a major turning point.
Justin: So, what have you done to protect your wealth?
Doug: At the beginning of the year, I took all my original capital out of cryptos, plus 150% profits. I also took profits on crypto stocks. I got in late, and out a bit late. But it was a happy experience.
Read moreDoug Casey on Why Gold Could Go “Hyperbolic”
