Losses typically make investors nervous about the future, with many assuming that 2023 will merely be a continuation of the trend markets experienced the previous year; but what does the data say about negative annual returns on equities over the long history of stock markets?

It would be hard not to take notice of the stock markets this year. The last time both stocks and bonds suffered double-digit losses was 1973. Granted, it was a different time back then, but what can we expect going forwards?