MANDAN, N.D. (KFYR) – The stock market’s pretty consistent inconsistency has investors wondering what will happen next, and some might be unsure about whether it’s time to buy or sell.
Lux Wealth Advisors’ David Wald said while the fluctuating rates have people worried, it’s not quite time to panic yet— although any panic you might be feeling is normal.
“They were a lot heavier tariffs than I think anybody even thought President Trump was going to do. So, you’ve got a lot of industries, and a lot of people who are uncertain of, ‘What does this really mean?‘” Wald said.
Wald said that anxiety is likely affecting the wild fluctuations we’re seeing.
“It’s not actually people trading on numbers and financials. It’s more emotional trades, because markets don’t move like that normally,” Wald said.
However, he said, just because the market itself is rising or falling, doesn’t necessarily mean the specific portfolios you’ve invested in are suffering.
“But, definitely understand for your age, your time frame and how you feel about risk, understand where your portfolio is positioned. If it’s not positioned appropriately, you’re not too late to make sure that it does get positioned appropriately,” Wald said.
He said since the U.S. is such a key player in the world market, other countries will likely be motivated to come to an agreement as quickly as possible. He said there could be problems if the tariffs start pushing closer to a year, though.
“If this becomes a prolonged tariff war, it will definitely damage the economy,” Wald said.
In which case, we’d likely experience a recession.
Wald said if the tariffs result in a recession, it would likely be comparable to the recession the U.S. saw in the early 2000s. We’d probably see rising unemployment numbers and an overall slowdown in the economy.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
