The tides of investor sentiment seem to be shifting, with more investors feeling pessimistic about the future. Just under 50% of U.S. investors are "bearish" about the next six months, according to the most recent weekly survey from the American Association of Individual Investors, with only around 32% feeling "bullish."

Stocks look set to extend their slide Friday amid investor jitters about the tech sector and the path of monetary policy.

S&P 500 futures are on the run as Advanced Micro Devices ( NASDAQ: AMD) leads the tech pivot higher. Last checked, the S&P 500 is up about 24 points. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF ( SPY) is up about $2.35. Dow futures are up 105, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq up about 152.

This approach is called dollar-cost averaging, and it's one of the most effective ways to hedge against market volatility. Sometimes you'll buy at the market's highest prices. Other times, you'll score pricey stocks at steep discounts. Over decades, those highs and lows should average each other out -- without needing to time the market.