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Americans are bracing for inflation and a market crash: survey:
Inflation and a potential stock market crash. These are the two biggest threats to the US economy and to the financial wellbeing of Americans, so says a survey by personal finance software firm Quicken.
The Menlo Park, Calif.-based Quicken/SurveyMonkey online poll was taken earlier this month, which consisted of a sample of 1,200 US adults ages 18 to 74 from the Cint Consumer Network, according to Quicken's press release.
The survey revealed that nearly three-fourths who responded to the survey (71%) ranked inflation (currently at 7% and the highest since the early 1980s), as the top concern, followed by new COVID-19 variants, supply chain disruptions and a stock market crash. On that last point, the survey noted that 52% surveyed agree that there will be a stock market crash in the next five years. Of that group, 58% expect a looming stock market crash will impact their finances negatively, according to the press release.
Yet not everyone views a potential crash as such a bad prospect. Some Americans saw the financial gains that more aggressive investors had made from the day of the 2008 stock market crash, and are now looking to capitalize for the next one. According to the press release, 52% of self-described "aggressive" investors are likely to say the 2008 crash benefited them financially, compared to 18% of so-called "conservative" investors. What's more, 71% of aggressive investors, compared to 20% of conservative investors, believe a stock market crash in the future would benefit them financially. A notable percentage of respondents who believe there's going to be a crash in the next five years – 35% – agree that they're waiting for a crash in order to invest some extra cash.
A sizable percentage of younger adult generations surveyed – Millennial and Gen Z – also see the benefits to a future stock market crash. According to the survey, 41% of Gen Z and 36% of Millennials agree that they are waiting for a stock crash in order to invest their extra cash. Another 30% of Gen Z and 28% of Millennials say they're waiting for a crash so that they can start investing, according to the press release.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 23 2022, @05:49PM
Except that it won't. The federal reserve won't let that happen. So much of the economic activity in the US depends on there being ridiculously low interest rates to maintain the system that raising interest rates high enough to encourage saving would likely have devastating effects on the economy. We've collectively allowed for so much wealth to accumulate at the top that the moneyed interests won't allow for interest rates to go up much, it would cost them a ton of money if they started having to pay meaningful interest rates.
Even if the interest rates go up, chances are that the banks and investment firms will just allow that to pad their bottom line. If you're responsible enough to be a saver now, then why would they shell out any additional funds for interest?
It kind of reminds me of what the judge in Futurama heard from his caddy-chauffeur, a bank is where people keep money that isn't properly invested. Money in bank accounts is for near term spending or emergencies, if you want to actually make money on that, it should be held in stocks and bonds or ETFs and mutual funds investing in stocks or bonds.