March 30, 2026: Dow 45,000

Bond&Devick’s roots go back 44 years, when our founder, Penny Bond, made the leap from a tax auditor to a financial planner. The markets have seen their fair share of ups and downs over those years. We try to reach out to clients during periods of market volatility to try to calm nerves and focus on the long term. For instance, in our letter to clients dated February 9, 2018, we talked about the recent market volatility that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop 1,100 points in one day. We noted, “while that sounds like a lot – and it is…but a point today (2018), when the Dow is at 24,000, is very different than a point in 2008 when the Dow was around 7,500”. As of this writing, March 30, 2026, the Dow is above 45,000.

It is crucial for traders, people who make short-term bets, to correctly gauge the changes in the markets over the near term. They make big bets trying to profit from market volatility. For long-term investors, getting things right over the short term isn’t as important as time, which is our ally. Just rereading the above paragraph, you will notice that the Dow was at 7,500 in 2008, 24,000 in 2018, and is currently about 45,000. As we all know, it has not been a smooth ride from 7,500 to 45,000, but over the long term, patient investors who trust their allocation and are diversified would be well suited to keep their eye on the long-term and try not to get caught up in the hype and noise of short-term market volatility.

While the market’s next 1,000 or 2,000 points are unpredictable, given our experience, the longer-term trend has been decisively upward over time. Dow 45,000 in 2008 probably sounded just as improbable as Dow 90,000 does today.

We know and appreciate that market volatility can cause anxiety, and we always want you to feel welcome to call us at any time if you feel anxious about your portfolio or the markets. We are here to help you keep focused on the things that matter – your long-term goals and the plan you have put in place to reach those goals.

Enjoy the Spring.

The Bond&Devick Team