# S&P 500 Drop: Buy the Dip or Wait?

> Long-term S&P 500 investing beats short-term timing for most investors.
- Title: S&P 500 Drop: Buy the Dip or Wait? · The Motley Fool
- Summary: Long-term S&P 500 investing beats short-term timing for most investors. For patient investors, buying stocks during market dips rarely beats steady long-term…
- Keywords: s&p 500, vanguard s&p 500 etf, buy the dip, long-term investing, market timing, s&p 500 index, finance, money, 500, Drop, Buy, Dip
- Source: The Motley Fool — https://fool.com/investing/2026/10/27/sp-500-sell-off-the-right-time-to-buy-the-dip
- Author: Ben Gran
- Published: 2026-10-27T19:13:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: s&p 500, vanguard s&p 500 etf, buy the dip, long-term investing, market timing, s&p 500 index, finance, money
## S&P 500 Drop
The S&P 500 index has declined by about 2.5% since reaching a record high on Oct. 6.
## Buying the Dip
Some investors see a 2.5% drop as a sign to buy more shares of s&p 500 exchange-traded funds.
## Long-Term Returns
The S&P 500 has delivered average annual returns of 9.98% since 1928 with 15.3% returns in the past decade.
## Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) has delivered 14.94% annualized returns over 16 years.
## Time in Market
Research shows steady investing beats trying to time the market for better returns.
## What to Do
Focus on long-term plans: buy and hold diversified stocks without worrying about short-term dips.
## Key takeaway

For patient investors, buying stocks during market dips rarely beats steady long-term investing in the S&P 500.