In recent years, more people have become aware of new thinking around environmental sustainability, workplace diversity, ethical decision-making practices and similar issues impacting both life and business. Investors are increasingly reflecting that awareness in terms of the types of stocks and other securities they buy—and avoid.
The past few years reminded all of us that financial markets not only don’t always go up—a lesson we all likely know—but also that they can go down in surprising ways. We don’t know the next curveball the markets will throw our way or when it will happen. But history suggests that at some point we’ll once again be surprised by an unexpected path taken by the economy and various asset classes.