Now is not the time to panic

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil's above $143 a barrel. The dollar continues to weaken. Second quarter earnings, especially in the financial sector, are going to stink. And the employment report for June, due out this Thursday, is expected to show another month of job losses.

These are, to put it mildly, some uncertain times for Wall Street and Main Street. With stocks edging close to bear market territory, the first half of the year is coming to an end none too soon.

But this is not the time to panic. Yes, this was a brutal first half of the year. Yet, experts warn that the worst thing an investor can do when the sky seems to be falling is to act like Chicken Little.