What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, hiring rates were skyrocketing, crypto funding was surging and global capital markets recorded a blockbuster year. Today, we are operating in a starkly different reality – tens of thousands of layoffs, markets trending down and a Fed committed to rates higher than we have seen in over a decade. With macroeconomic challenges expected to last well into next year and a potential recession on the horizon, investors can be forgiven for asking, what’s next – a lump of coal in our stockings?

Passengers on a roller coaster with their arms in the air

We all know that markets are cyclical, and while a surging market can be a lot more fun, a down market is an inevitable and integral part of a well-functioning economy. Progress is never linear, and markets require periodic correction to ensure longevity. Down cycles compel both investors and companies to take a critical and holistic look at their holdings and businesses with an eye toward optimizing operations, finding efficiencies and forging new pathways to survive the bad times and thrive in better ones. They also can bring needed restructurings, as well as regulations that may go a bit too far, but are aimed at helping markets function properly and restoring investor confidence.

Reevemark’s professionals have helped clients weather these cycles before, and we take solace in the fact that bear markets historically have been shorter than bull markets. And there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We enter 2023 immensely grateful to our clients, business partners and fellow advisors, who have been so instrumental to our success. We are confident we will not only weather the storm together but emerge the stronger for it.

We wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.