Almost everyone who has money in the stock market has lost money in the last year and a half. This makes it difficult to get any confidence back and have any faith that the market will go up again. Having it go down so far and so fast has probably unnerved quite a few investors.

Even though the market has made a small comeback, it does not guarantee that it will not start to head back down again. This is where you start to wonder whether you are missing out by not being in the market or whether this is just a false upward move before heading back down again. Professional investors have a slight advantage here because they are trained to understand market tendencies and to analyze the market.

When you buy more stock at lower prices than you already own some shares, it is called averaging down. For instance, if you own 100 shares of ABC corp. at $100 a share and then you buy 100 more shares at $50 after it has gone down, you will now own 200 shares at an average price of $75.00. You will have averaged down the price of your shares. This is what we will all be doing when we buy back into the market.

Although you may want to average down some of the stocks you own, it is important to get some much needed stock diversification as well. Any stock market expert will stress the importance of spreading out your risk between stocks and not putting too much in one stock or a group of stocks. When you put most of your money in one stock or one sector, it is more like gambling in that you are betting everything on one area. Good stock market investing entails figuring out a good variety of stocks that all have an above average chance of going up.

Even if you have been properly diversified, you have most likely lost money in this terrible environment. All investments types have suffered as well as jobs and anything else related to the economy. This will not last forever though, and at some point it will be the right time to get back in. Those that are able to recognize the correct reentry point will stand the best chance of cashing in and actually making money.

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