If the market were to rebound suddenly, missing even a few trading days could potentially reduce long-term returns. As illustrated in the following chart, this effect is compounded by missing any of the “top” days, where the market has its biggest gains in terms of performance. There were 5,033 trading days during the 20-year period from January 1, 2005–December 31, 2024, yet missing only 10 of them would have reduced an investor’s return by 63%.
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