Perspective on the Stock Market

Yes, we are in a bear market, as I foresaw here and confirmed here. But before you jump out a window, put the current state of the market in perspective:

Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Composite Index
(as of 12:36 p.m. ET today)

(c) BigCharts.com

Even with today’s significant drop (thus far), the market is relatively high by historical standards. The “bear” of 2000-2003 was far deeper than the current decline. Don’t panic.