Unfamiliar economic and political forces buffeting investors

THIS year’s market losses reflect rising prices and falling demand. But that’s not all.

Investors are also grappling with an unsettling feeling that they are now buffeted by an entirely new and perplexing set of economic, financial and political forces.

Much of the current market turmoil rests on a desperate longing for a return to “normal” and few signs we will get there soon. Inflation may actually linger higher for longer. Growth may remain sluggish.