📅 Day 94 — FearLag: Why Markets Fall Faster Than You React

Here’s the cruel joke of fear: by the time you feel it, the market already has.

Fear isn’t immediate — it lags. That’s why selloffs often feel like they accelerate the moment you finally panic-sell. The pros sold on the whispers. You sold on the headlines. That lag between signal and action is what I call FearLag.

🔗 Think back to March 2020: pros dumped risk in late February. Retail investors often waited until after the historic -10% days to hit “sell.” FearLag meant they exited at the worst possible moment — right before the rebound.

FearLag doesn’t just cost money. It erodes confidence. You start doubting yourself, promising never to “make that mistake again,” only to repeat it the next cycle.

Key Takeaway: The goal isn’t to eliminate fear — it’s to shorten the lag between recognition and response.