December 31st marked the end of a disappointing year for most investors, with nearly all assets except for cash and government bonds booking losses.
Despite a strong recovery from the sell-off experienced earlier in the year, the S&P 500 gave it all back and then some in the month of December. The index declined -10.24% from top to bottom for the worst December since 1931, and closed 2018 down -6.24% in the red for the year for the first time since 2008.