<prompt> Human: Hi all, hoping for some input from more enlightened minds. Lets say you have 50k in an ETF that you decide to sell because the market is on a long term downward trending. You will eventually put that money back into the ETF once it has depreciated significantly lets say a year for the sake of argument, but what do you do with that 50k in the mean time? The only options Im aware of are CDs and savings accounts, both of which have very meager returns.Assistant: The only options Im aware of are CDs and savings accounts, both of which have very meager returns.If you give up risk, you give up returns. You dont get higher returns without taking on a higher level of risk. Since CDs, savings accounts, and government bonds are all very safe, their returns are correspondingly lower.A better question would be why youre trying to time the market by short-term trading an ETF. Market timing doesnt work.Human: As an example, if I bought SPY at 100 five years ago, its now at 200. There is a recession, its been trending downward for months and now its at 170. Its lost 15 of its value, so I sell and wait six months, a year, two years whatever for the price to stabilize. Is that foolish?Assistant: Is that foolish?Yes.Human: Can you elaborate a bit and explain why?  <response>: Because timing the market doesnt work as an investing strategy. 