Trying to correctly time the market is a near-impossibility for any investor, and the potential mistakes are just as severe whether you’re trying to sell high while you can, or buy low. Because of this, investors who are concerned about the current state of the U.S. stock market may want to take a long-term view and hold tight to their positions. According to data from the Wells Fargo Investment Institute, the final year of a bull market can be one of the best of the economic cycle for investors, and staging an early exit from stocks to avoid a coming downturn can be a costly long-term mistake. Equities tend to see steep gains in the 12 months before the start of a bear market, the data showed. Large-cap U.S. stocks rise an average of 24.2% in the 12 months before the start of a bear market, while small-cap equities jump an average of 36.4%, historically.via