It’s rare when bond markets and equity markets decline precipitously at the same time, but the first four and a half months of 2022 have taken investors for quite the ride.
As COVID-19 headlines give way to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the news has triggered an emotional response from people, including investors, worldwide. For our clients, we know these developments can be stressful.
Bitcoin is now the hot topic of conversation after taking a backseat to GameStop and Reddit a few weeks ago. Bitcoin recently traded higher than $50,000 per coin!
The second quarter 2020 saw a significant rebound in equity markets following the jolting declines in the first quarter. Domestic small company stocks (per the Russell 2000 Index) led the way with a return of 25.42%, followed by the S&P 500 with a return of 20.54%.
To say that equity markets had a challenging start to 2020 would be an understatement. The record highs reached in mid-February by the S&P 500 seem like a distant memory after the 30% drop in March – the quickest decline from a new high ever recorded.
Although we are in uncharted waters, remember that we’ve been in unfamiliar territory many times before. Markets have always recovered, and each time they have moved on to all-time highs. We strongly believe this time will be no different.
As a valued client, your peace of mind is of utmost importance to us. With regular updates about COVID-19 in the news and increasing reports of confirmed cases, we want to stay vigilant and proactive in our communications with you.
The coronavirus COVID-19 continues to spread and many people are apprehensive about possible disruptions to consumer spending, supply chains, and manufacturing.
Global equity markets were negative across the board for the fourth quarter, with US Small Cap (as measured by the Russell 2000) being the worst performing equity asset class, at -20.20%.