It pays to be in Stocks

Despite market pullbacks, stocks have risen over the long term

Source: Fidelity Investments. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. See footnote 1 for details. 

It's unclear what will happen next. But we do know that these patterns have played out in similar ways in recent market pullbacks. Days with unimaginable losses have sometimes been followed quickly by days with large gains. Eventually, the market has historically gotten through these periods and gone on to produce positive returns—the largest of which often come right after big selloffs.