We could say that people not able to access their accounts right now means less panic-selling by retirement account owners, so fewer people locking in their los

We could say that people not able to access their accounts right now means less panic-selling by retirement account owners, so fewer people locking in their losses. But that doesn't make it right. People not being able to sell/buy when they really want to (and should be able to) also lends itself to suspicions of retail/retirement investors being sheep to be shorn by professional investors, and the mad scramble of a market correction is when there's less pretense otherwise.