You have to realize the distinction between trading and investing. Investing is putting money into something in the belief that over the long term, it will likely return enough money to be worth the opportunity cost and the risks involved. Trading is seeing a price difference between here and there (in 4 dimensional coordinates) and making money by moving the goods.
The stock market was created for investors, who by investing grow the economy as a whole, but it has been taken over by traders, who are helpful for greasing the wheels of the exchange but ultimately not necessary in anything like today's numbers. It would seem by competition for a commodity service they should start killing each other off but so far it seems there are still enough amateurs in the game to keep them well-fed.
So in short, make sure what you are doing is investing and not trading. Investing still pays off. Trading is like jumping into a tank full of robotic sharks.
I mean, consider: a report got released 400ms early. So the price of the futures fell 400ms early, and some trading firm made money off of that fall (instead of some other trading firm making said money.)
What's the impact on you of the price changing 400ms early? Even if you held that asset, were you really planning your trades to the second, let alone the millisecond, to begin with? No? Then it doesn't matter.
Buy-and-hold broad index funds for decades on end, then you need only fear macroeconomics and political risk.
The stock market was created for investors, who by investing grow the economy as a whole, but it has been taken over by traders, who are helpful for greasing the wheels of the exchange but ultimately not necessary in anything like today's numbers. It would seem by competition for a commodity service they should start killing each other off but so far it seems there are still enough amateurs in the game to keep them well-fed.
So in short, make sure what you are doing is investing and not trading. Investing still pays off. Trading is like jumping into a tank full of robotic sharks.