As the stock market cratered again due to crashing oil prices and coronavirus fears, many investors grappled with pulling money out of equities and stock funds and moving it to safer investments, including bond funds, money market accounts — and cash. It’s been an ongoing quandary as investors were already skittish after a roller-coaster first week of March that saw the S&P 500 index swing up or down more than 2.5% for four days straight.
Emotional reactions from investors are certainly not unprecedented — they need help and want answers.
“In increased times of market volatility, we tend to see increased digital and phone activity from customers,” Fidelity Investments, the largest 401(k) provider in the U.S., said in a statement to CNBC. “This is no different from previous periods of market volatility and is to be expected given the need for additional guidance or reassurance on an existing investment plan.”
While Fidelity does not monitor daily trading activity within its retirement products, Alight Solutions has been tracking 401(k) data since 1997. It found trading activity in 401(k) retirement plans rose to nearly 16 times greater than average at the end of February, an all-time record, and has fluctuated between normal, high and moderate levels since then. Monday will likely see another bumpy ride for 401(k) trading activity, Alight said.
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