The Philippine Stock Market took a heavy beating yesterday, August 24, 2015 due to external factors. The fundamentals of the Philippine market has not changed but the bearish sentiments since March has made many investors jittery, to say the least. Last Friday’s major decline in the U.S. markets had a domino effect in the whole world, coupled by issues in China.

The result? The Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) drops by 487.97 points or a retraction of 6.70% to 6,791.01 in just one day.

I recently started a MoneyTalks Viber group and quite a number of people have been active in that group because of the stock market decline. It’s nice to see that there are a lot of people who are learning much from the interactions with the experts and with each other. If you want to be part of this very active group, send your Viber number to my assistant, [email protected]

While I will never downplay what has happened yesterday, I wish to remind many that the stock market is the way it was because that is it’s nature. It is said that the stock market can be overly optimistic or severely pessimistic and the later was what has been prevailing lately and especially yesterday. The stock market cannot defy gravity – what goes up most ultimately come down… but what goes down will also go up eventually. Despite the fears, I still believe that the stock market is a great way to grow your money but you must understand that it pays to think long-term when it comes to this kind of investing. This hold true whether you are buying individual stocks or investing through equity pooled funds (Mutual fund, UITF, VUL).

If you look at the how the stock market has behaved in one month, it really will scare you.

However, if you view the stock market from a long-term perspective, you will see a different picture.

I have asked my stock market expert friends of their advise to investors with regard to what’s happening in the market recently. You will find their advices insightful, helpful although they can have conflicting opinions.

“Today wasn’t a mere correction, it was more like major psychological and technical breakdown by the market. We advise investors not to catch a falling knife and to allow the market to signal an intermediate bottom first. Looking at the peso-dollar rate vs. this 7% one-day historical drop by the PSEi, we are not convinced that this is a structural exit away from PHL assets. Most likely we just had to adjust to regional peers which have come down much against us but had more modest corrections today.” – Tony Herbosa, Chairman of Philstocks and founder of Traders Apprentice Pilipinas (TAP)

Investors should understand that markets do not go up on a straight line and market declines happen. But it is during these drops when better opportunities are presented. For as long as you do not lose sight of the big picture of why you invest, there is nothing to worry about and continue with your investing journey to be financial free. Investing during these times is not just for the brave– it is for everyone. – Marvin Fausto, President of IFE Management Advisers Inc. & former Chief Investment Officer of BDO Universal Bank

While the severe drop in global stocks show critical issues and concerns on valuation, it is the pervasive negative sentiment that makes things worse. Times like these represent opportunities to take positions in companies that present good value, more so given the lower prices. The important thing to consider is one’s investment horizon, and staying power is key amidst the volatility. – Rex Mendoza, President of Rampver Financials and former CEO of Philamlife

Everyone should treat this market situation as like a major earthquake happening. A strong earthquake will have repercussions that take time. Those who are inside should not insist on going out in panic. Those outside should not go in. There will be aftershocks. Those inside should treat their stocks for the long term. Let the dusts settle before making any decision. –Dr. Alvin Ang, PhD, economist of Ateneo de Manila

The drop is an effect of price movement due to what’s happening globally. If you look at it, the rest of Asia and most of the developed world is down. When you look at the fundamentals of our country I don’t think locally there’s anything compelling that should be a cause of alarm. However, given that we are trading and investing in stocks. There’s such a thing as expensive and a bear market. Our fundamentals are good but we are still expensive which would cause buyers to want to wait out until we become cheaper. Our fundamentals are good but we have been in a downtrend since April and will continue to do so until proven otherwise. My suggestion is for each investor to follow their buy/sell plan. It would be great though if they could wait to see until selling subsides and forms a support before they buy. It’s great to buy cheaper but not when everyone else is selling. – Marvin Germo, stock market investing advocate and best-selling author.

Always invest according to your investment objective, time frame and they must be consistent with your risk tolerance. The stock market is not for the faint of heart but we should also not be afraid of stock investing. Learn as much as you can about stock investing and always invest according to the 3 factors I mentioned and don’t forget to diversify and you should be fine.