Looking back at 2022 market performance, it was honestly rough for most investors. The S&P 500 dropped around 17% by late November, and unless there was some crazy December rally, it probably finished the year in the red. Inflation hitting 40-year highs combined with the Fed aggressively hiking rates just crushed equity valuations across the board.

What was interesting though is how wildly different sectors performed that year. Energy stocks absolutely crushed it, up over 30%, while tech got absolutely decimated—down nearly 32%. You had Meta tanking 65%, Amazon down 42%, but then energy names like Occidental Petroleum surging 139%. The monthly swings were insane too, with the market whipsawing investors constantly.

The weird part about 2022 market performance was that even in a brutal bear market, you could find pockets of strength if you looked hard enough. One sector almost always holds up, and that year it was energy. Sure, the overall market was painful, but historically every bear market has recovered and hit new highs eventually. Still, definitely something to discuss with your financial advisor before making moves. That's the kind of year 2022 was—brutal on the surface, but with some silver linings if you knew where to look.