The curtain came down on a year that, simply put, was very rough for investors.

The US stock market had a strong rally through mid-quarter before falling steadily to end the quarter at multi-year lows. There really was no place for investors to hide, other than cash, which is now paying a decent return.

There was little place to hide as stocks slid into bear market territory.

The quarter can be summed up in two words – Ukraine and inflation.

US stocks lived up to their reputation for looking forward in the fourth quarter. It was, by any measure, a very positive year for investors.

A September market slide took the shine off a strong start to the quarter but the economy continued its recovery.

The US stock market kept chugging along in the second quarter.

Market and economic review for the first quarter of 2021.

An historic year ended with very positive results for investors.

The stock markets continued their recovery and their apparent disconnect from the economy.