It has been another week where stock markets have continued under pressure. By the close on Thursday, both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ had traded down to their lowest levels in three months.
Inflation continues to be a worry for investors, and next week’s interest rate decision from the US central bank could help throw some more light on what the Fed’s current view is and just how many interest rate rises we could expect this year.
Declines in stock markets do happen of course - and then quite often the market finds its feet, turns around and pushes higher once more. We have been through a somewhat unusual 18-month period where sell-offs in stocks have been relatively short-lived, so with 2022 starting with a rather more significant move down, it’s a scenario investors have not experienced much of in recent history.
The last sizeable sell-off in stocks was in September last year - the S&P 500 declined by almost 6% from its then all-time high. Then in October, the market turned around, and investors were rewarded for buying the dips once again.
So far, the index has dropped by around 7.5% from the all-time high set at this year’s opening. So it is a sizeable decline based on recent data, but still not in the bear market territory - it will be interesting to see if the last week of January brings out the bargain hunters.
Silver Shines
In times of uncertainty, investors have looked for other assets to try and provide some safety. Traditionally, this was gold, but in January, it’s another shiny metal that has delivered the goods so far. Silver had a dreadful 2021, dropping by 12% overall for the year while most other commodities were running higher.
This month has certainly seen a change in its fortunes, with the price up by 11% from its January low. It’s an impressive short-term move, but - to keep some perspective here - it has only pushed silver back to where it was in late November. Nevertheless, with gold still proving to be sluggish, silver could be one to watch to see if it continues to be viewed as a store of value for nervous investors.