The struggles continue.
The S&P 500 is down more than 7% since its peak on February 19. It’s now at its lowest level since November.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq is down over 10% (correction territory)...
And the Volatility Index (VIX), colloquially known as the “fear gauge,” is on the rise.
In short, 2025 has started with a serious case of market whiplash... exactly what our RiskHedge team has been anticipating and warning about.
If you’re feeling anxious, this essay’s for you.
Any smart investor should be asking themselves this question today.
After all… the market had been going straight up, leaving many investors behind.
We’ve all been there—I know I (Chris Reilly) have. Wanting to own certain stocks but refusing to “chase” them as their prices climbed higher and higher. “I’ll buy the next dip,” we tell ourselves.
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Well, the dip’s here. But it’s never quite how you picture it, right?
Because a dip isn’t just a number. It comes with a flood of emotions like fear and paranoia. These emotions helped our cavemen ancestors survive. But in modern-day investing, they’ll cloud your decision making if you don’t understand and control them.
To achieve that mastery over your own emotions, there’s no substitute for experience.
If you’ve been a RiskHedge reader for that long, you’ll recall it well.
COVID and lockdowns were wrecking the stock market.
Chief Analyst Stephen McBride urged subscribers to buy stocks in March 2020, right when fear was at its peak during the COVID crash.
He sent out back-to-back alerts on March 12 and 13... and put things into perspective in his Disruption Investor advisory:
What you do now will define the next 5–10 years of your investing life. Right now, it’s extremely important to understand where we are… and how we’ll set ourselves up for maximum profits in the months ahead.
I’ll be frank... I don’t know if we’ve seen the bottom in stocks yet.
But here’s the important thing: I believe markets are closer to bottoming than most people think.
My research suggests we’re closer to the bottom than the top. And if stocks haven’t hit the bottom yet, they’re at least in the vicinity. And now’s the time to prepare for what’s next.
Those who followed his guidance came out on top as markets staged a historic recovery.
He made similar calls during the brutal 2022 bear market, when inflation fears and rate hikes were battering stocks.
You may remember we also published The Crisis Report in 2022… in which Chris Wood recommended 10 world-class, dominant disruptor stocks like Broadcom (AVGO) and Alphabet (GOOG) that were trading at crisis prices. As he said, it was a chance to “buy Ferrari assets at Honda Civic prices.”
Last we checked, the average recommendation in that report was up 50%.
I realize today’s market is nowhere near as bad as 2020 and 2022. But I can see similar emotions starting to creep in.
Remember, RiskHedge reader: We’ve been through much worse together. And we came out wealthier on the other side by controlling our emotions.
Plus, if you’ve been following along, you saw this market weakness coming.
As Stephen mentioned in early January, “I’m ready for a pullback, and you should be too.”
Now, it’s time to execute the game plan.
But don’t just take our word for it...
I recently shared why I believe Peter Lynch is the best investor not named Warren Buffett.
During his 13 years running the famed Magellan Fund, he generated average annual returns of 29.2%. That turns $10,000 into $279,520.
In his famous 1994 lecture at the National Press Club, Lynch said:
History teaches you the market goes down. It goes down a lot. The math is simple. There have been 93 years this century. The market has had 50 declines of 10% or more. With 50 declines in 93 years, the market falls at least 10% about once every two years.
Of those 50 declines, 15 have been 25% or more. We’ve had 15 declines of at least 25% in 93 years, so every six years, the market has a 25% decline.
Of course, no one knows exactly when the market will turn lower. You just need to know that it will.
Lynch again (emphasis added):
It’s good when the market goes down. If you like a stock at $14 and it goes to $6, that’s great... You hope for $22; $14 to $22 is terrific, $6 to $22 is exceptional, so you take advantage of these declines.
$14 to $22 is a 57% gain.
$6 to $22 is a 266% gain.
The key, Lynch says, to taking advantage of market volatility is understanding what you own.
Small, fast-growing disruptors are naturally more volatile than giant incumbent companies. That volatility cuts both ways. When markets recover, these stocks can rocket higher with disproportionate gains.
Right now, we’re seeing some of the most exciting disruptive companies trading at substantial discounts.
We’re talking about companies pioneering breakthroughs in:
These aren’t just interesting technologies—they’re world-changing innovations with massive addressable markets. And the leading companies are currently on sale.
It’s why Stephen and Disruption_X coeditor Chris Wood sent two updated buy alerts last week, telling subscribers now’s a good time to accumulate more shares.
First, resist the emotional urge to sell great stocks during market weakness.
Second, consider this volatility as a gift—an opportunity to accumulate positions in extraordinary companies at bargain prices.
And finally, if you haven't already joined us in Disruption_X, today is your final opportunity to do so.
Stephen and Chris are building a portfolio specifically designed to capitalize on these world-changing trends over the next few years. What happens over the next few months is just market noise compared to the big growth trajectories these companies are on.
Remember Lynch’s wisdom: “Volatility will occur, and the markets will continue to have these ups and downs. That presents a great opportunity if people can understand what they own.”
Stephen and Chris have done the hard work of identifying what’s worth owning. The market has provided the discount. All that’s left is for you to take advantage of it.
If you’re interested in joining Disruption_X, this is your last chance to take advantage of our special charter membership pricing.
After midnight tonight, this offer will be closed for good.
Go here now before the doors shut.
Thank you,
Chris Reilly
Executive Editor, RiskHedge