 TITLE: Is Now the Time to Start Investing? CONTENT: Investment Trends and COVID-19\n------------------------------\nThe stock market has periods of ups and downs. These fluctuations are commonly referred to as \"bull\" and \"bear\" markets. A bull market occurs when a market index (like the S&P 500) increases 20% or more over several months, and a bear market occurs when indexes decrease by at least that much.\nIn March, amid uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, the Dow Jones Industrial Average—one of the major U.S. stock indexes—dropped over 20%, entering bear market territory for the first time in over a decade. This plunge caused a mixed reaction among investors around the world, with some ramping up their investments and others pulling back as they saw their portfolios drop in value.\nBut at a time when many Americans are turning away from investing, some are seeing an opportunity. According to a recent Experian survey of 1,000 people in the U.S., 14% of respondents with a household income of $100,000 to $150,000 said they planned to invest more in the stock market in the near future. Others planned to invest more in things other than stocks.\nSource: Experian 2020 survey data\nWhen it came to weighing risk after COVID-19, 1 in 3 consumers reported that they had no plans to change their investment risk level, according to the survey. Nearly everyone surveyed said they planned to make some type of investment once the pandemic was over.\nThese plans to invest—while more common among investors in higher income brackets—illustrate consumers' confidence that markets will recover. END