In our latest Twitter poll, I asked Fools to share how recently they’ve been buying British shares. As you can see, some time in the first five and a half months of 2022 and mid-May through to mid-June were tied as the most popular answers. However, combining the votes for ‘This week’ and ‘In the last month’, almost half of respondents (49.1%) revealed that they’ve bought a UK stock in the last 30 days:
As someone who fully supports The Motley Fool’s missing to make the world smarter, happier, and richer, I was pleased to see these results.
Part of our investing philosophy involves aiming to buy shares regularly, using money that you won’t need within three to five years.
We also acknowledge, of course, that not everyone has a lot of money to devote to investing. So I’m hoping that a lot of the remaining 51% will be able to invest in the UK stock market soon.
Because many macro pressures are weighing on British shares right now. Think inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. Think rising interest rates and the threat of a recession.
But do also remember that, historically, stock markets go up. As do, the majority of the time, the share prices of quality companies with shareholder-focused management teams.
Buying opportunity
You’ll see phrases such as “beaten-down stocks”, “cheap shares” and “buy on the dip” on our articles. And for good reason.
Recall the phrase ‘bad things happen to good people’? Well, currently bad things are happening to good stocks. They’re falling in value.
But this presents Foolish investors with the opportunity to pick up shares in innovative and reliable companies at undervalued prices.
Of course, it’s not only UK stocks that investors should be looking at. A diversified portfolio ought to have exposure to more markets than just one.
And it’s no secret that the tech-heavy NASDAQ index in America has recently entered a bear market.
Personally, I’m strongly contemplating increasing my position in a number of US stocks that I have bought and since held.
Because good businesses rarely become bad overnight.
And finally, it’s worth stressing that every significant decline in the major US indexes has eventually been cleared away by a bull market.
Fool on!
