The market weakness in 2022 has continued to accelerate, driving equity prices lower. While it may feel like a pretty extreme selloff, the S&P 500 selling off 15% is fairly normal, occurring every 2.5 years. Even if we reach a “bear market”, defined as a 20% or more decline, this will occur on average every 4 years, so we are experiencing a phenomenon that is relatively frequent.
This, of course, doesn’t make anyone feel particularly better. As our revenue is tied to our clients’ assets under management and every advisor in our firm invests in the stock market in some form, we all feel the pain. There are many reasons for this. Inflation has run significantly above target levels. The Fed is moving away from ultra-low interest rate policies. And the war in Ukraine continues. These have all contributed to the uncertainty surrounding companies and their future outlook.
We have continued to watch earnings as they have been reported. Presently, they still are strong but earnings surprises have trended lower and future earnings are looking a bit more tenuous pending all the above uncertainty. This is not to say that we haven’t already hit the bottom of this pullback, nor is it saying that things can’t get worse. It is worth mentioning that today’s stock prices reflect the expectations of future earnings by companies. It is predictive in nature, and that’s why we have seen the results in 2022 when we look in a rearview mirror. An end to the Ukraine war, easing of inflation numbers, reduced COVID cases & lockdowns, and better news on supply chains could all be factors that will likely drive equity markets higher. A dive into a bear market could be caused by a worsening of any of the above as well, and that is precisely why we tend to advise caution in making any short-term decisions that can have long-term impacts.
Did you also know that the bond market is having its worst year since 1842(!!!)? Normally we see an inverse relationship between stocks and bonds, with bonds increasing in value while we see a negative stock market.
So, What to Do?
Assessing timeframes is obviously extremely important. Keep in mind that despite the pretty awful market we’ve seen so far this year, the longer-term returns look strong. Here’s a chart of the S&P 500 over the last five years:
Just from eyeballing the chart, you can also see that we’ve had some pretty feracious pullbacks before we hit higher highs. The difference between now and then? Inflation is running hot, and recent reports are showing that it is not coming down quickly.
What Can We Expect in the Future?
According to research by First Trust, out of the last 185 quarters, only 16 had stocks and bonds falling together. When we look back at historical data, returns tend to be positive in the stock and bond markets, especially in the 1- and 3-year periods. See this chart that lays out prior stock and bond market returns. While we know that the future is uncertain, we also know that it’s almost never about timing the market, it’s about time in the market.