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BUSINESS Monday 2 March 2020
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Stock market jitters? Try some patience and perspective

By SARAH SKIDMORE SELL gains of the past decade,
AP Personal Finance Writer during which time investors
To state the obvious, the benefited from the longest
stock market is a little scary bull market of all time. The
these days. index is still up 337% since
A viral outbreak has spread March 9, 2009, the start of
to nearly 60 countries and the bull run.
shows little sign of abating. If you are still uneasy, check
That in turn has stirred wor- in with your financial plan-
ries about the economy on ner or investment firm. They
a global scale. can let you know if your
Now, the stock market has plan is on track.
surrendered nearly five Now might be a good time
months worth of gains in an to rebalance your portfolio,
alarmingly short amount of to make sure you are hold-
time. Investors can find it ing the right mix of assets for
difficult to stay the course your goals. After all these
when uncertainty rules, but years of big market gains,
experts say that is precisely some people may have
when they should do so. more weight in stocks than
"Ultimately no one knows they need. Some people
what will happen, and may want to take advan- This Jan. 31, 2020, file photo shows a Wall Street sign in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
that's why it is important to tage of a dip to buy stocks. Associated Press
avoid rash reactions when J.J. Kinahan, chief strate- ment in the next few years because you may need watch," said Andrew
markets get shaky," said gist with TD Ameritrade, and are getting nervous something to last you 20 Meadows, a senior vice
Corbin Blackwell, a finan- says investors sometimes about market volatility, years or more. president at Ubiquity Re-
cial planner with online in- make the mistake of being Blackwell said decreasing And panicking can cost tirement + Savings, a retire-
vestment firm Betterment. either all in or all out when exposure to stocks might you: There are fees, taxes ment plan provider based
Investments should be it comes to their approach help you sleep better at and lost potential gains. in San Francisco. But he
made as part of a long- to investing in the stock night. Think of the people who reminds people that much
term plan. And those plans market. Any money you need in the sold off at the market's bot- of the action investors are
won't be entirely upend- "For those who use the dip next few years shouldn't be tom during the Great Re- seeing in the market right
ed by short-term ups and as a buying opportunity, invested in stocks. So, make cession and missed out on now is short term.
downs. buy a small amount. If we some minor adjustments some of the greatest gains If you simply must do some-
What about the 11.5% drop do (fall) further, it gives you based on your needs but of all time in the recovery thing, build up emergency
in the S&P 500 this week? another buying opportu- avoid the urge to sell off that followed. savings.
It sounds big, but it repre- nity at a better price." all the stock holdings in "Market volatility is scary Americans are woefully
sents just a fraction of the If you are considering retire- your retirement account and nerve-wracking to unprepared for financial
disruptions such as a ma-
No ice wine for you: Warm winter nixes special jor expense, illness or job
loss. Having a little extra
German wine stashed away could help
if you face job loss, illness
or even time away from
By DAVID McHUGH "If warm winters become work for a quarantine. But
AP Business Writer more frequent over the more likely, it will keep you
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) coming years, ice wines financial protected for any
— A warm winter means from Germany's regions challenge that is thrown
that, for apparently the will soon become an even your way.q
first time in the history of more expensive rarity than
German winemaking, the they already are," said
country's fabled vineyards wine institute spokesman
will produce no ice wine Ernst Buescher.
— a pricey, golden nec- Buescher said the institute
tar made from grapes that knew of no vintage year in
have been left to freeze on this century or last when no
the vine. ice wine was made, and In this Dec. 18, 2009 file photo snow covered grapes hang in a
The German Wine Institute since winters were colder vineyard near Freyburg, Germany.
said Sunday that none of in the 19th century, it as- Associated Press
the country's wine regions sumed that the latest har- due to low volumes. facilities. Vineyard own-
saw the necessary low vest was the first one to Making it is a tricky busi- ers also face the risk that
temperature of minus 7 de- create no ice wine since ness that can enhance grapes set aside for ice
grees Celsius, or 19 degrees production began in 1830. the winemaker's reputa- wine will rot on the vine be-
Fahrenheit. Freezing the grapes before tion. Workers must race fore the hard freeze comes.
A succession of warm win- they are crushed concen- into the vineyards to bring Canada's Niagara Penin-
ters have cut into ice wine trates the sugar and leads the grapes in with only a sula is one of several other
production recently, the to an intensely sweet, gold- few hours notice when the places where ice wine is
institute said, noting that en wine often served with temperature falls, often at produced, thanks to its
in 2017 only seven produc- dessert. It has always been night or in the early morn- cold winters. It's also made
ers managed to make it, an niche product with ing. Since the grapes must in northern Michigan and
and only five managed it around 0.1% of German be pressed while still frozen, Ashtabula County, Ohio,
in 2013. production, and expensive makers labor in unheated near Lake Erie. q