If you’ve checked the news lately, you’ve likely seen headlines like:
Stocks fall, oil prices rise on darkening economic outlook from Middle East war[1]
The tone feels serious. And when markets pull back at the same time, it’s easy to feel like something bigger is happening.
As of late March, markets are down about nine percent from recent highs.[2] That can feel significant.
This Part Is Normal
But declines like this are actually common.
Markets regularly experience pullbacks. Sometimes they are tied to economic data, sometimes interest rates, and sometimes conflict and oil. The cause changes. The pattern doesn’t.
We’ve seen oil shocks and geopolitical events many times before. Each one feels different in the moment because the headlines are different. But markets have a long history of working through them.
Pullbacks are not unusual. Recoveries aren’t either. This isn’t new. It just feels new.
And that matters, because when something feels new, the instinct is to react.
The Purpose of Your Plan
But your plan was never built for calm markets. It was built with periods like this in mind. Times when uncertainty rises, headlines get louder, and emotions start to pull at decisions.
What matters now isn’t the headlines.
It’s staying aligned with your long-term goals and continuing to follow a disciplined approach.
Moments like this are not a reason to change the plan. They are exactly why the plan exists.
Please reach out should you have any concerns or wish to discuss further.
Jonathan
[1] Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-markets-global-markets-2026-03-27/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[2] S&P 500 Index performance calculated from Jan 27, 2026 through March 27, 2026. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is a capitalization weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. All indices are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly.