As companies race to develop vaccines and drug therapies that could help end the COVID-19 pandemic, news reports on successful or failed trials affect individual stock prices and can trigger wide swings in the broader market. You should think twice before making investment decisions driven by hopes and fears.

Do you find yourself glued to daily market movements? Before making any decisions, be sure you understand how this data relates—or not—to your individual portfolio. If you have a well-diversified portfolio that includes multiple asset classes, be sure to compare its performance to relevant benchmarks, not daily news cycles.

When the market was in the midst of an 11-year bull run, you may have increased your investments in equities. By contrast, if you were recently burned by market performance, you may be hesitant about increasing your investments. Investment decisions should be based on your individual goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.