Ok, you may see everyone else running around in panic mode calling their broker and selling off their shares in light of the big global sell-off-spree in the last 24 hours or so, but that doesn't mean you should join in the hoopla and start freaking out. Take a deep breath, calm down, here's why we suggest holding onto your hair:

This had to happen sooner or later, and understanding what lit the fuse to the sell-off is key to preventing you from hyperventilating with fear. Everyone seemed to know deep down that the market would 'correct,' it was only a question of when (and I think we know the answer to that now!). There were really two key factors in my opinion that triggered this sell-off: rumors in China that they would actually start reforming their market and 'tightening it up.' The other being Alan Greenspan's rather alarming comments yesterday about the U.S. economy to a group in Hong Kong. He may not have the title that he once did, but whatever he says still pulls an incredible amount of weight in markets around the world.

This should definitely give a boost to the argument that markets in the U.S. (and maybe the world) take a cue from what Asia does in the overnight session. Asia is the first region in the world to start the trading week, just like the first serve in a tennis match. The rest of the world is on the receiving end, and what they do with what Asia serves up honestly sets the pace for trading week around the world I think. We saw proof positive of that last night; none of the major indices in Europe had less than a 2% decline, and we saw the biggest drop on wall street since 9/11.

BUT, despite all of this glum news, we at Investor Central really are not freaking out all that much. If you look at the actual price some of these stocks were trading at, particularly here in Singapore, you will see that many of them were trading way beyond actual value. Naturally, it had to come down.

China, while the main culprit behind the meltdown, is actually doing something incredibly positive for the long-term health of that market. Seriously, who can complain when officials are trying to tighten up the regulating environment and cut out the sketchiness? This is a positive, not a negative.

So rather than get on the phone with your broker having a panic attack, take a step back, a deep breath, relax, and take a look to see what potentials are out there, because there is an upside to everything in life, even if it is global indices melting down.

As always, please see your licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

-Curtis Bergh