![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lineawealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/142\/2025\/12\/dec-11-3-1.png\")
<\/p>\nI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but 2025 is almost a wrap. This is my last blog of the year (unless something really wild happens, which after 2025 thus far it wouldn\u2019t surprise me), and all eyes are turning to 2026.<\/p>\n
I wanted to think back over the course of 2025 to gain some perspective on a pretty wild year in the markets, plus to give some critical review of the blogs I sent throughout the year. As for 2025, it started out HOT with the markets hitting new highs in January and February. It truly felt (to me, and based on sentiment) that people were feeling a little too confident. Then, starting the last week of February, through early April, the market fell roughly 20%. That\u2019s one way to curb overly optimistic sentiment, and I\u2019d say it did that pretty well. Obviously, everyone was feeling pretty bad (including me) back in late March\/early April (especially after the \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariff fiasco). But, that\u2019s exactly when clients need us to provide some perspective and perhaps even some optimism. Here\u2019s a blurb from my blog on April 8th, which was (luckily) almost exactly at the bottom of the sell-off:<\/p>\n
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I\u2019d say that one worked out pretty well! But, we weren\u2019t out of the woods just yet. We kept hearing silly terms such as \u201cdead cat bounce\u201d and \u201cbear market rally\u201d from all of the pundits out there. But, the probability of markets going higher just kept, well, going higher. See below from the June 3rd blog:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lineawealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/142\/2025\/12\/dec-11-1.png\")
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Once again, playing the probabilities worked out well for investors. And, while the 12-month story isn\u2019t fully written, I think there\u2019s a pretty good chance of 7 for 7 on this data set. But, not everything went as expected in 2025. See below when we suggested market weakness was nigh and to expect some short-term declines. I\u2019m actually happy to say this one from August 5th didn\u2019t work out \ud83d\ude0a!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lineawealth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/142\/2025\/12\/dec11-2.png\")
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As I write this, I can say it\u2019s been a pretty darn good year for almost every asset market (stocks, bonds, gold, crypto, etc.). I doubt anything will change that in the next couple of weeks. Remember, the \u201cSanta Claus Rally\u201d is typically reliable for gains into year-end. But, 2025 is mostly water under the bridge at this point. So, what do I expect for 2026? Well, I\u2019m not going to make any wild predictions because I think that is a useless exercise, but you better believe that I\u2019ve looked at what history suggests. That\u2019s what I\u2019ll rely on for now. Of course, I\u2019ll be updating my thoughts once we get into the new year.<\/p>\n
Sorry, this was a bit longer than normal, but heck, we are wrapping up a full year, so there is a lot to think about. But, as I sign off on the 2025 calendar year, I want to AGAIN thank each of you for the confidence you place in our team on a daily basis. We take that responsibility very seriously (although we like to have some fun along the way). And, most importantly, make sure to slow down over the holidays and reflect back on the year. Cherish the time you have with friends and family. And, finally, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year!<\/p>\n
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. For illustrative purposes only and not indicative of any actual investment. The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 companies used to measure large-cap U.S. stock market performance. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. Index returns do not reflect any fees, expenses, or sales charges. These returns were the result of certain market factors and events which may not be repeated in the future. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person.
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I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m saying this, but 2025 is almost a wrap. This is my last blog of the year (unless something really wild happens, which after 2025 thus far it wouldn\u2019t surprise me), and all eyes are turning to 2026. I wanted to think back over the course of 2025 to gain some perspective […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n