Market Perspectives

Q4 2022 Market Outlook

Until recently, we had been living in a decade-long easy money environment marked by low interest rates and a strong economy. We saw significant appreciation in many different types of assets driven by an insensitivity to valuation. The music stopped in 2022 when central banks around the world started raising interest rates in a concerted effort to fight global inflation.

The Storm Before the Calm?

We don’t think we are alone in saying that we will be happy to have 2022 in the rear-view mirror. This was a year filled with pervasive and relentless unrest, conflict, and sorrow. In 2022, Orwellian propaganda, doublespeak, and outright disinformation policies continued to spread around the globe. When the Merriam-Webster dictionary selects “gaslighting” as the word of the year – you know it was an unpleasant year.

A Triple Whammy Tightening and Entering the Danger Zone

In a previous inflation missive, I commented on powdered milk and toothpaste. The former being an example of a sacrifice families made in the past in response to soaring prices and the latter an analogy. Like trying to put toothpaste back into a tube that’s been squeezed, inflation is difficult to rein in once it takes hold. This sentiment rings true today, with the global economy experiencing severe inflation. To put it another way, the toothpaste is out of the tube and authorities are trying to get it back in so that we all don’t have to resort to drinking powdered milk.