The last few years in the market have been weird to say the least. The last eight years of straight up gains are unprecedented.
But with those gains, some market norms haven’t been there. For one thing, volatility has been nonexistent. We’ve had nothing but smooth sailing since the depths of the recession in terms of the market’s fluctuations.
And the major missing piece has been inflation.
The steady rise of prices has been muted for years now. It’s just not there. But early signs of inflation are starting to creep back into markets. As the saying goes, “The time to build an ark isn’t when it’s raining.” The time to think about inflation is now.
Where’s the Pricing Pressure?
Policymakers and investors alike have been puzzled since the depths of the recession. And the biggest piece to that puzzle has been inflation. Historically, since the end of World War II, the U.S. has seen prices rise by an average of 3.76% per year. That silent killer and destruction of purchasing power is one of the major threats to retirement.
