Will the S&P 500 Recover in 2023? Here's What the Smartest Investors Know.

With the S&P 500 averaging an annual return of 14.3% during the 10-year stretch from the start of 2012 through 2021, investors were in for a rude awakening when the broad index of the 500 largest companies in the U.S. ended 2022 down 19.4%. For starters, posting two consecutive years of negative returns is extremely rare for the S&P 500. The last time the S&P 500 had a down year was in 2008, when it lost 38% of its value.