FYI: By most measures, 2018 was not a great year for investors. Stocks tumbled in the fourth quarter, owing to a grab-bag of worries related to trade, the political impasse in Washington, and slower growth overseas. And while bonds were reliable ballast during that period, they had fallen earlier in 2018, as the Fed's series of interest-rate increases crimped bond prices. In the end, U.S. stocks dropped about 5% for the year, and international stocks fared even worse. The Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Index managed to remain in the black, but only barely. Higher-risk, higher-yielding bonds generally dropped in value.
Regards,
Ted
https://www.morningstar.com/articles/911534/bucket-portfolios-faced-a-real-stress-test-in-2018.html
