Here's What 60 Years of History Tells Us About Stock Market Crashes
There's a silver lining, even if it does happen anytime soon.
Overview
According to CNN's Fear & Greed Index, which measures what emotions are driving the market, fear is taking over. At the time of writing, the index is at 35 (out of 100, which is extreme greed). With investor sentiment dipping, the idea of a correction or crash naturally becomes more of a topic of discussion.
We can't predict how the market will perform in the near term, but even if (or when, rather) a crash does happen, 60 years of stock market history should provide a silver lining.
Details
A stock market crash happens when a major index falls by at least 20% from a recent peak. In the past 60 years, there have been nine official market crashes, based on the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC):
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.