Forecasts predict a bleak decade for stocks. Here's what to do.
Over the past several decades, the U.S. stock market has yielded average annual returns of around 10% . What if those days are over? In recent forecasts, Vanguard projects the stock market will rise. by only 3.3% to 5.3% per year over the next decade. Morningstar sees U.S. stocks gaining 5.2% a year. Goldman Sachs forecasts the broad S&P 500 index will gain only 3% a year . Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. Those numbers are not outliers. A roundup of market predictions, charted by Morningstar , finds no one projecting annual returns higher than 6.7% for the domestic stock market in the next 10 years. In June, USA TODAY noted that many analysts predict the stock market will end the year with only modest gains . Some readers reacted with surprise, others with disbelief. Stock indexes have been posting record highs , despite persistent inflation, a weakening job market and higher import tariffs. ...