Weathering the storm of 2022

With the exception of the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, 2022 is set to be the worst year for markets this century:

• High and persistent inflation led to one of the fastest periods of rate rises for decades hurting almost all asset classes.
• There were few hiding places, with cash and certain equity sectors, like oil & gas, being the few areas of the market to generate positive returns.
• Volatility increased, causing periods of market stress as seen after the mini-budget.

But the night is always darkest before the dawn and, although a challenging economic environment remains, forward looking returns on a range of asset classes have increased which creates opportunities for investors. We shall first look back at the events that drove markets in 2022 before discussing what investors should look ahead to in 2023 - keep a look out for this coming next month.