By the numbers

For the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, the average correction has been14%, based on 21events since 1945, according to data from CFRA, a Wall Street research firm. Heading into Friday, the broad market gauge was down 10.2% from its Jan. 26 alltime high. The takeaway: If history is a guide, the market is getting close to a bottom.

Corrections, or drops of 10% to 19.99%, take about fivemonths, on average, before hitting a low, CFRA data show. And it takes four months, on average, to return to previous highs.

These declines are also more frequent than investors may realize. They’ve occurred about once a year since 1928, according to Bespoke Investment Group. That the market hasn’t tumbled 10% since February 2016 adds to the angst.

“Investors have now had a taste of fear of loss, which hasn’t happened in a long time,” says Stephen Janachowski, president of wealth management firm Brouwer & Janachowski.