There’s nothing more frightening than seeing your favorite staple goods such as Tootsie Rolls or Snickers go up in price over time, especially when they set the foundation for spooky traditions that never seem to go out of style.
For better or for worse, we all need some sweet treats in our lives.
Health = Wealth after all!
Although we don’t need to start panicking just yet about soaring turkey legs next month, it’s never too early to start preparing anything in advance.
Plan for the worst, hope for the best as legendary investors say!
Just like with a getaway, especially when it comes to soaring 40-year high inflation hurting consumers’ wallets, better earlier than later.
With Thanksgiving being the most hectic travel holiday of the year, booking those flights to grandma and grandpa requires strategic planning during a limited window of time that most aren’t even aware of happens months in advance.
Although inflation is stubborn, we can at least thank it for eroding all kinds of debt from overdue credit card payments to auto debt since too many dollars are chasing too few goods.
Since most Americans are in a better financial position than they were pre-pandemic, now is the time to plan accordingly and not mess up your pent-up savings plan you diligently set up for the last 2 years.
Speaking of accounting for rising costs at the dinner table for Thanksgiving next month or at the front door on October 31st, as an American tourist, it’s never too early to start planning that getaway to the French Alps or Silician beaches either, all thanks to a soaring dollar and lower exchange rates.
There are always silver linings, even to higher prices as long as it doesn’t bring cavities and more unhealthy financial and mental habits.
October Effect
Historically, September is the worst month on average for the markets due to a heightened level of uncertainty looming over investors’ minds coming from their lavish Hampton vacations in the summer.
Now back into high gear for earnings season this month, at the time of writing this, this week of October 24th is expected to be one of the craziest and most packed earnings weeks with over 100 S&P 500 companies reporting Q3 earnings. Not to mention, preliminary GDP data will be released which the Fed is eying like a hawk.
If Snap’s earnings release last week didn’t hint enough about the tough road ahead for digital advertising and Apple’s planned earnings miss due to privacy and regulatory concerns, its first miss ever, investors must brace themselves for a bumpy quarter ahead into the hoiday season.
Since supply chains are still backed up at the ports, it’s hard to see an end in sight by 2023, especially with stubborn inflation eating away all the goods, including delicious candy next week!
With Elon needing to close out his lofty Twitter deal by Friday, China’s lower-than-expected GDP results report causing swings in Asian equities, and England battling a rattled market with a PM shakeup, globally and nationally, there’s a lot up in the air now, however, as a true passive investor, you must be greedy when others are fearful and learn to block out the noise to seek the golden gooses.
The October effect tends to mimic September’s shaky momentum, however, for the most part, it’s not as drastic given investors more or less know what to expect for the rest of the year, especially nowadays as the Fed plans on hiking once more for the 4x+ by 75bps on November 2nd to curb rampant inflation.
For now, as spooky season is quickly approaching next week, what you can do as an investor is firstly, take stock of your mental and physical health.
There’s nothing more precious and valuable than one’s time + health — the two things that cannot be replaced or purchased no matter how much you may have sitting in a low-yield savings account at your trusty bank, or in this case most likely slaughtered in this bear market.
Whether or not you’re a Halloween junkie, one must always be beware of soaring prices on items that add up over time. Being overgenerous is never too healthy, especially if it comes at the expense of your health and wallet.
In sum, moderation is key in everything in life, especially with addictive substances in that candy you adore.
With the price of Skittles jumping 42% and Starbursts up 35% this year according to Datasembley, candies all across the board may be signaling it’s time to not damage the work that has been done over these past few years on your savings and dream body!
Plus by limiting your candy purchases and impulses, you’re saving yourself and other gullible kids on their candy addictions later on.
It’s a win, win! This is the best investment in all of us to feel right and do better.
For now, be greedy when others are fearful, especially on Halloween night and expect uncertainty for the foreseeable future.