Author: OneAscent

January was an ugly start to the year for the capital markets with the S&P 500 index declining more than 11% at its worst point before recovering to a loss of 5% for the month.

For many investors, 2021 was a year of robust gains with the S&P 500 index returning nearly 29%, but there was significant dispersion in results across industries and geographies. Areas like emerging markets declined 3% as a category as geopolitical risk in China and pandemic-related challenges continued to weigh on these markets.

As we approach the beginning of a new year, it is only natural to reflect upon the year that was to remind ourselves how we arrived at this moment.

The overall environment for accepting investment risk is slightly positive. This means that we advocate that client portfolios be positioned with a level of risk that is slightly above their long-term financial plan.