Hello friends,

We’re sure many of you have your eyes on Ukraine, as Russia continues its invasion on its neighbor. This week, we’ll take a look at how this conflict is affecting the stock markets, and then we’ll share some cool facts about Ukraine with you.

Russia has been carrying out its invasion of Ukraine for well over a week now, and by the time you are reading this email, the situation could have already changed quite a bit from the time of its writing. Ukraine has had some unexpected victories with its ad hoc military, including holding Kyiv last weekend.

As of now, the stock market is definitely reacting to the situation in Ukraine, and some volatility is to be expected whenever there’s international uncertainty of this kind.

Because western countries and China are issuing sanctions on Russia for their illegal occupation of Ukraine, experts suggest the most significant impact will be in energy markets due to supply disruptions.

Looking back over the past 42 years to 1980, we see that even in “up years” for the market, there are down moments. The S&P 500 index officially moved into a correction of 10% this past week for the first time since March 2020. Since 1950, there has been an average of one 10% correction per year, so some volatility was likely due.

All of that is to say, the concerns and uncertainties are real. We don’t know how long the attempted Russian occupation will last or how long we’ll feel market ramifications, and we do know that we’re monitoring and rebalancing portfolios when it’s called for.

Since Ukraine is dominating the news in America, we thought we would share some interesting facts about the country for those who might want to learn more about it. Here are some things we found, and we would love for you to share your own knowledge and insights with us, too!

• Ukraine is, by area, the largest country in Europe, but has only 43 million residents. Russia looks much larger, but only 23% of it is in Europe and the other 77% is in Asia.
• Ukraine has a very educated population, sitting at fourth in the world. Around 99.4% of its population over age 15 can read and write, and 70% of the population has secondary or higher education degrees.
• The country has a deep literary tradition, with many world-famous poets, novelists, and playwrights originating from Ukraine. Here’s a handy list of writers to check out if you’re interested in learning more about what Ukraine’s culture is like.
• Ukraine has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Saint Sophia Cathedral and the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (a mouthful for sure, but an amazing natural wonder).

If you’ve visited Ukraine, we’d love to know what your favorite sight-seeing or cultural experience was.

We’re hoping for many positive updates on world events next week, and in the meantime, we always love hearing from you. Here’s hoping your March is off to a great start.

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Advisory Services offered through Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions, LLC. Securities are offered through Triad Advisors, member ​FINRA/SIPC.​ Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions, LLC, and Obsidian Personal Planning Solutions, Inc, are not affiliated with Triad Advisors.