When Headlines Get Loud, Fundamentals Speak Louder
Markets continue to shift as geopolitical tensions and energy prices influence short‑term performance. In our latest Market Update Video, we break down what’s driving recent volatility, why diversification remains essential, and how keeping a long‑term perspective can help support your retirement strategy—no matter the headlines.
| Visual | Audio |
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| A light gray background fills the screen. A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “After a Strong Start, Markets Turned Volatile” appears horizontally across the center-right portion of the screen. Shortly after, the text “Escalating Conflict with Iran and Strait of Hormuz Disruptions” similarly animates onto the screen and remains static. | After a strong start to the year, markets turned volatile amid escalating conflict with Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the upper left, followed by the title “The Current Bull Market” in dark blue text across the top. A line chart animates into view, showing the FTSE All-World Index price over time. The horizontal axis displays dates from October 2022 through April 2026. The vertical axis shows index values increasing from approximately 300 to over 700. A dark blue line trends upward from left to right, with several dips along the way. Portions of the line are highlighted in yellow to indicate moderate declines and in red to indicate larger declines. Text near the center of the chart reads “+87% 10/12/2022 – 4/15/2026,” indicating overall growth during the period. Additional text appears on the right side of the chart reading “13 Market Pullbacks (-2% to -10%)” and “2 Corrections (-10% to -20%).” A small source note appears centered along the bottom of the screen. The chart elements animate into place, with the line drawing across the screen from left to right. | As this chart shows, however, the resulting downturn was short lived, with markets rebounding by the end of April after tensions eased. These types of sharp pullbacks and quick recoveries have become a familiar pattern during the current bull market that began in 2022. What set this episode apart was the outsized impact geopolitical events had on oil prices. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “Rising Energy Costs Has Led to Higher Prices” appears across the center-right portion of the screen. Then it switches to “Cutting Buying Power of Average Consumer” The orange slash and the text animate into view, moving smoothly into position before remaining static. | Rising energy costs tied to the conflict put pressure on businesses to raise prices, cutting the buying power of the average consumer. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the upper left, followed by the title “Oil Prices Spiked, What Does History Say?” in dark blue text across the top. A line chart fills most of the screen, showing Brent crude oil prices over time. The horizontal axis displays years from 2006 through 2026. The vertical axis shows price levels in dollars. A dark blue line moves across the chart from left to right, fluctuating significantly with multiple sharp rises and steep declines. Several points along the line are labeled with callout boxes indicating specific dates and price values. A prominent peak appears around July 3, 2008 at 146.08, followed by a sharp drop to 36.61 in December 2008. Additional peaks and troughs are labeled, including a rise to 115.06 in June 2014, a decline to 27.88 in January 2016, a drop to 19.33 in April 2020, a rise to 127.98 in March 2022, and more recent values of 58.92 in December 2025 and 99.36 in April 2026. The line remains static after animating into place, emphasizing repeated cycles of increases and decreases over time. | What does this mean for investors and the economy moving forward? History says don’t panic. As you can see in this chart, oil prices have surged many times over the last 20 years, but those increases didn’t last long. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the upper left, followed by the title “Confidence is Down, Consumers Keep Spending” in dark blue text across the top. A dual-line chart fills the screen. The horizontal axis displays a timeline from April 2016 through April 2026. The left vertical axis ranges from approximately 80 to 140, and the right vertical axis ranges from approximately 11,000 to 17,000. An orange line labeled “Consumer Confidence” fluctuates across the chart, rising and falling frequently and trending lower toward the right side of the timeline. A dark blue line labeled “Consumer Spending (PCE)” trends generally upward from left to right, with a sharp decline around early 2020 followed by a steady recovery and continued increase. A legend centered near the bottom identifies the orange line as “Consumer Confidence” and the dark blue line as “Consumer Spending (PCE).” Both lines animate into view as they draw across the chart from left to right. Each line is highlighted when called out and then remains static. | Fortunately, consumer spending remains resilient. This is especially remarkable when you compare spending with consumer confidence. In this chart, we see confidence (the orange line) trending down even as spending (the blue line) rises steadily. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the growing gap between high and low earners. This phenomenon is exemplified here. High earners continue to drive spending overall, while the confidence of the average consumer is about as low as it was during the pandemic. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “The Economy Continues to Move Forward” appears across the center-right portion of the screen. The orange slash and the text animate into view, moving smoothly into position before remaining static. | While consumer confidence has softened, the broader economy continues to move forward. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the upper left, followed by the title “The Economic Expansion Continues” in dark blue text across the top. A combined bar and line chart fills the screen. The horizontal axis displays dates from March 2021 through March 2026. The left vertical axis shows “Real GDP ($ bil)” ranging from approximately 20,000 to 24,500. The right vertical axis shows “Growth Rate (%)” ranging from approximately -2 to 8. Orange vertical bars represent quarterly real GDP growth rates, varying in height above and below zero across the timeline. A dark blue line represents total real GDP, trending upward from left to right with gradual increases and minor fluctuations. A label near the right side of the chart reads “Est. 2.28,” indicating an estimated growth rate. A legend at the bottom identifies the orange bars as “Real GDP Growth Rate Q/Q” and the dark blue line as “Real GDP.” The chart elements animate into view, with the bars appearing and the line drawing across the timeline before remaining static. | This chart helps put that further into perspective. Even amid geopolitical tensions and higher oil prices, the U.S. GDP continues to trend higher and is expected to grow around 2.28%. That kind of growth reinforces the underlying economic momentum and instills overall confidence in the overall health of the economy. In other words, headlines may be driving short-term sentiment, but the long-term fundamentals remain intact. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “Where and How Should You Invest” appears across the center-right portion of the screen. The orange slash and the text animate into view, moving smoothly into position before remaining static. | With so many forces tugging at the markets, it can be hard to know where and how to invest. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the upper left, followed by the title “No One Style is Best for All Time” in dark blue text across the top. A large quilt-style chart fills the majority of the screen. The chart is organized into columns labeled by year from 2005 through 2025. Each column contains multiple colored rectangular blocks stacked vertically, representing different asset classes and their annual performance rankings. Each colored block contains text indicating the asset class and its annual return percentage. Asset classes shown include U.S. large cap, mid cap, and small cap; S&P 500; non-U.S. developed markets; emerging markets; growth; value; and U.S. bonds. The colors vary across shades of blue, orange, light blue, and red, distinguishing different categories. The arrangement of blocks changes from year to year, with top-performing asset classes appearing at the top of each column and lower-performing asset classes appearing toward the bottom. A legend near the top identifies the color-coded asset classes. A source note appears along the bottom of the screen in small text. The chart animates into view as the grid and labels appear, then remains static, emphasizing the changing leadership of asset classes over time. | This quilt chart shows how unpredictable market leadership can be. Each column represents a year, and each block shows which investment category performed best, or worst. One year, Growth markets lead the pack, the next year it’s Value stocks or Emerging Markets. If you’re chasing last year’s winners, you’re not guaranteed the same performance this year. But if you maintain a diversified portfolio and avoid reactive decisions, you’ll likely find success over time. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “Markets Go Through Cycles” appears across the center-right portion of the screen. Then it switches to “There Will Be Ups and Downs” The orange slash and the text animate into view, moving smoothly into position before remaining static. | We can’t say it enough: markets go through cycles. There will be ups. There will be downs. |
| A diagonal orange slash appears near the left side of the frame. Dark blue text reading “Fit Your Strategy to Your Goals” appears across the center-right portion of the screen. The orange slash and the text animate into view, moving smoothly into position before remaining static. | What matters most is how your retirement savings strategy fits into your long‑term goals. |
| Centered near the top is the company logo reading “Fisher\SMB” in dark blue text, with an orange diagonal slash separating the words “Fisher” and “SMB.” A horizontal light blue banner spans the lower portion of the screen. On the left side of the banner, a phone icon appears next to the number “(888) 322-7586.” On the right side of the banner, an envelope icon appears next to the email address “contact401k@frs.net.” A dark blue background then fills the screen. A block of small white text appears centered along the lower portion of the screen, presenting a legal disclaimer. The text states that past performance does not guarantee future results, that investing involves risk of loss, and identifies Fisher Retirement Solutions®, Fisher\SMB™, and related logos as trademarks of Fisher Retirement Solutions, LLC. The text also notes that the firm is not connected to Fisher Investments and includes a copyright line reading “©2026 Fisher Retirement Solutions” followed by an internal reference code. All elements remain static on screen. | If you have questions about your retirement plan, we’re here to help. Reach out to one of our Retirement Specialist to learn more. |
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