WATCH THIS BEFORE YOU INVEST IN the US Markets
Channel: ZIGGING by Mark Sigg
Date: 2021-05-07

Here I'll be sharing how much have I lost in the stock market! For several videos now, I've been encouraging everyone to invest in US stocks and sharing the amazing returns that I've gotten on my own personal investments. Basically, there are two main ways to make these foreign investments even as we're here in the Philippines. The first is by investing directly via online brokerages such as eToro, WeBull, Robinhood, and XM amongst others. The second is buying professional managed equity funds that would closely mirror popular index funds such as the S&P 500 and the MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital Investments). Previously, these index funds were only being offered by banks and mutual fund companies, requiring a comparatively high minimum investment amount to buy into the funds. This has drastically changed with tech players such as Seedbox Philippines and Globe Telecom's GCash GInvest which has made the barrier to entry into such investments very attainable with a minimum of as low as P1,000! Previously, banks require a minimum of $1,000 to buy into these US equity funds. Even more difficult would be the need to open a US Dollar Account with a maintaining balance of $500 and moreso, the basic requirement to have to first convert your pesos into dollars! With GCash and Seedbox Philippines being enabled by ATRAM, these new index funds are definitely gamechangers. 

However, with this low barrier to entry into these have gotten me thinking that there's an enormous responsibility to share with everyone about the type of risks and possible losses with these funds. Even as my investments into GCash and Seedbox are fairly new through ATRAM's Global Technology Feeder Fund, Global Consumer Index Fund, and Global Financials Feeder Fund, I have been invested in BPI"s US Equity Feeder Fund which mirrors the S&P 500 in the last 4-years. Recently, I also started investing directly and actively trading stocks, commodities, forex, and cryptocurrency via eToro. I feel that these experiences have given me the needed credibility to be able to share a broad perspective on the US Stock Market. Not only am I able to share how much money can be made, but more importantly, I'm able to share regarding the risks and possible loss of money in terms of these financial instruments. I've realized that I may have actually focused too much on the returns and wins. I may have downplayed how much money you can actually lose! So I apologize if I haven't painted a more holistic picture. In this video, it is my objective to set the record clear and share the risks and losses I've actually been subject to when being invested in the US Stock Market and Index Funds. Stock market dips and losses are always part of the entire game. Most notably the stock market crash of 2020 because of global lockdowns due to the pandemic is still fresh in our memories! The US market has recovered so much in the past year so I feel even more strongly that I should refresh people's memories and share how such economic recessions and stock market crashes would directly impact your money especially as you invest in these global financial instruments!

In my nearly 4-years being investe in the US stock market, there have been 3 notable dips. 2018 was notably the worst year in stocks since the subprime mortgage stock market crash of 2008. For 2018, my first full year of being invested in the US stock market, this was actually notably a loss for me! It wasn't very encouraging. Actually, it wasn't until mid 2019, a full 18-months later when I actually started getting some returns on my investment. It was a good appreciation from that point on. However, the US Equity Fund did peak in February 2020 just right before the crash in March 2020. These were major losses! In one day, my portfolio was down a good 10%. Nearly 3 years in the market and I was even below my starting point! However, this was thankfully remedied as the US stock market started inching upward again in a profitable direction starting May 2020 and now my funds are at an all-time high of 50% returns, just as the S&P 500 is at an all-time high.

I'm sharing these so that prospective investors can look to invest responsibly. The returns can be amazing, but it does involve investors to be able to weather storms and take on losses, possibly huge ones! This is even more important as we invest from the Philippines with very little knowledge or involvement on the day-to-day conditions of the US Economy and performance of its corporations.

While I encourage that we Filipinos take on global investments that outweigh local opportunities, I encourage prudence and caution in proceeding while also taking on long term views.

#GInvest
#SP500


Invest in GCash GInvest here:

http://bit.ly/zigginvest

Seedbox Philppines:
http://bit.ly/zigseedbox