Last year, stocks went up and became less expensive at the same time. The S&P 500 finished the year up nearly 29% and its price-to-earnings ratio started the year at 29.9 and ended the year several points lower. If you’re wondering how this is possible, read on.

Savant’s investment research team looks back at 2021 and shares some perspective on what we expect the market to look like in 2022 and beyond. 

Almost 30 years ago, Savant established a set of 30 investment maxims that have stood the test of time and still apply today. They can serve as a helpful guide to create your own financial resolutions.

More than 10 million jobs are open in the U.S. right now, yet the unemployment rate is higher than it was pre-pandemic. What does this mean for the economy?

Over the past year, China’s government has swallowed many aspects of its private sector. Because China represents about 30% of the Emerging Market Index, emerging markets have fared much worse than U.S. stocks this year.

According to a recent study by Charles Schwab Asset Management, recent world events like the global pandemic and numerous natural disasters have contributed to a surge in behavioral biases among investors, leading to some unseasonably scary decisions.

Global supply chains that were severely impacted by COVID-19, continue to work through issues that caused more than 50 container ships to sit idle outside of West Coast ports. Resolving this supply-chain issue will help calm inflation fears. All this and more in the third-quarter 2021 edition of MarketWise!

In casual conversations, “we need a market correction” has become commonplace. The S&P 500 has doubled since the lows in March of last year. We achieved 55 new all-time highs this year; the previous record of 77 new all-time highs in 1995 is within reach.

If you have followed investment news through traditional media, you have likely heard the theory that a potential increase in the long-term capital gains rate may cause investors to sell all of their positions with unrealized gains ahead of the tax change in the name of avoiding higher future tax rates. At face value this seems like a reasonable theory, but what does historical evidence tell us?

2021 created a new rivalry – those who believe inflation is temporary and others who believe it’s more indefinite. The U.S. inflation rate increased to nearly 5.4% year-over-year as of July 2021, the fastest rate of growth since 2008. Concern about rising inflation in the next few years has been a major point of contention.

So far, the markets seem unaffected by the Taliban’s return to power, but without a crystal ball, it’s difficult to know what any potential long-term implications are. In situations like this one, it can be beneficial to understand how the markets have treated other geopolitical events.

In this webinar, Savant advisors challenge and test the investment and financial planning world’s most common rumors, popular beliefs, and urban legends.