As I’ve mentioned in more recent posts, often markets move to the downside due to reasons the crowd (including myself) will never anticipate. Said differently, the only certainty is that nobody will predict the next recession / depression.
The war in Ukraine / Russia is very much top of mind and it’s difficult to think about other things to the detriment of long term investing.
On the positive / hopeful side of things – delegations from either side may meet in Belarus to discuss a ceasefire. On the negative side – Putin is making mumblings of readying his nuclear force (???) and war is still very much a thing. The humanitarian crisis is heartbreaking as the numbers of potential refugee migration escalate by the day.
The state of current affairs was certainly not in the realm of what was thought as a rational move by Russia – so much so that it’s newest best friend, China, has distanced itself publicly.
My takeaway is that while it’s not productive to always be thinking about what the next unpredictable thing may happen in life, it is productive to spend some time on it on a regular basis, if only to remind one’s self that unpredictable things happen.