History shows rather clearly that the stock market is prone to extreme events, aka crashes. The challenge is deciding when the risk for a repeat performance is unusually high. The literature offers endless possibilities, which is a reminder that the market can crumble for any number of reasons. The leading factor, of course, is the business cycle. But internal market issues can’t be ignored either, including abnormally high valuation. All of which inspires a relatively broad-minded system for monitoring the key risk factors.
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