By Douglas J. Peebles
We began 2018 expecting a rough ride - and we got it. Global growth was strong in the first half of 2018 but eased in the second half. More importantly for investors, the era of easy money was ending, and with it came a likely end to the nearly uninterrupted rise in risk assets. Trade protectionism and other political threats also justified caution.
Even forearmed, it's been difficult at times to navigate the increasingly turbulent investing conditions, particularly during the last quarter when markets staged a prolonged sell-off encompassing nearly every