The S&P/ASX 200's (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) nightmarish run has continued today, entering what looks set to become its sixth consecutive session in the red.
The local bourse has fallen another 27 points, or 0.5%, to 4982 points after falling as much as 1.4% earlier in the session. The fall follows a horror night for international equity markets which saw the Dow Jones and NASDAQ indices fall 2.3% and 3% in the United States, while London's FTSE 100 plunged 2% as well.
Most of the falls can be attributed to high levels of volatility in China which have prompted two trading halts on the country's CSI 300 Index this week. Add to that a plummeting oil price, tensions in the Middle East, further caution surrounding the US Federal Reserve's future interest rate moves and nuclear weapons testing in North Korea, and investors are panicking, unsure what the market still has to throw at them.
While the major iron ore miners are trading mostly flat today, it's the major banks doing most of the damage. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), for instance, is down 1.7%, while Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ASX: ANZ), National Australia Bank Ltd. (ASX: NAB) and Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) have all fallen between 0.9% and 1.6%.
Meanwhile, Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS) is down 0.3%, and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) shares have dropped 0.9%.
What should you do?
Watching your portfolio fall in value is never fun, especially when it happens as violently as it has done over the last week. While your instincts might scream at you to take your money off the table and run, it's important to remember that market falls are a normal part of investing. Market volatility comes and goes but, as history has shown us, it's those who stick to their guns and remain patient who are rewarded in the long run.
