One thing I have learned during my 40 or so years of investing is to not pay much attention to those who predict the future of the stock market. For whatever you wish to come true in the future, you can be sure you will find a prognosticator who predicts exactly that scenario. There are "experts" out there who are predicting huge declines in the market and also those who are predicting much better times ahead. I usually dismiss such stuff and invest in quality companies with earnings which pay dividends and have a long track record of raising them. It seems to work for me.