The stock market crash and genuine fears of a recession have left Americans wondering whether worse is yet to come, Allianz Life found in its latest quarterly market perceptions study, released Thursday.
Sixty-three percent of participants in the study expressed concerns about a recession, up from 43% in the fourth quarter, and 57% thought that the market had not bottomed out.
Notwithstanding their anxiety over market swings, 52% of Americans said now was a good time to stay neutral and not take any action because of market conditions.
Forty-one percent, rattled by recent market volatility, said they were too nervous to invest in the market, compared with 35% in the fourth quarter.
"Americans who have watched their investments and retirement savings plummet over the past few weeks might be wondering if they should take action to stem the bleeding," Kelly LaVigne, vice president of Advanced Markets at Allianz Life, said in a statement.