Marching Through March
As we continue our march through March, we thought we’d drop in this morning as the war in Iran continues into its fourth week. At just before 8pm ET on Saturday, President Trump issued an ultimatum regarding the Strait of Hormuz, demanding that Iran allow the waterway to be “fully open, without threat” within 48 hours. Iran has provided no indication that it intends to acquiesce. We will see what unfolds as the week continues.
In the meantime, we wanted to share a bit of perspective regarding your portfolio’s performance this year. The chart below summarizes the returns of the major indices that the news generally focuses on – as you can see, the S&P 500 (the largest companies in the US), Dow Jones Industrial Average (a selection of 30 companies in the US), and the NASDAQ (which focuses on tech companies in the US) are all down year-to-date (through the end of last week).
Meanwhile, the stocks in your portfolio are still up to start the year, outpacing the S&P 500 by 5% and our portfolio’s benchmark (the All Country World Index, or ACWI) by more than 3%*. This is why we diversify: small company stocks and value stocks within the US, along with stocks of all sizes and valuations around the world, have been bolstering your portfolio’s performance while the largest and most expensive stocks in the US have faltered. The performance of those large and expensive companies has weighed down the major indices you hear about so often, but the news isn’t fully capturing what’s happening to your investments. That’s where we come in: with a broader perspective and a focus on you.
We will continue to keep an eye on what is happening in Iran and the Middle East and will also remain vigilant regarding what is happening at home. Last week, the Fed decided to keep interest rates steady (3.75%). The Fed next meets at the end of April, and by then we’ll know more about the status of the unemployment rate (currently 4.4%, next reading: April 3rd) and the inflation rate (currently 2.4%, next reading: April 10th). With economic and geopolitical forces pushing and pulling the Fed in opposing directions, we’ll have to wait for a few weeks before learning how it chooses to respond to the shifting circumstances.
While we continue to navigate the unfolding reality, we encourage you to register for our upcoming webinar Stormy Skies, Clear Strategy on April 23rd at 11am PT | 2pm ET, where we’ll provide a recap of the year thus far and our outlook for what lies ahead.
In the meantime, we’re here, as always, if you’d like to connect with us in real time.
Take care,
The YeskeBuie Team
Similar Reading
- Posted March 2, 2026: Perspective in Times of Tension
- Posted March 6, 2026: Providing Context and Calm Leading into the Weekend