Two weeks ago, many of us were coming off of an emotional high from the Olympics. Today the news is dominated by war. What a rapid change of circumstances and emotions for all of us!

As with any major disruption, war can rattle both investment markets and investors. Markets tend to thrive on certainty, and wars often feel like the exact opposite of certainty. Frankly, I can’t blame anyone for wanting to pull some of their money out of the market right now–or any time a war breaks out.

However, more than a century of market history shows that wars and other geopolitical disruptions rarely derail long-term stock market investors, and in fact, are often still ongoing while the market surges.

A 2026 analysis by Kelly Bogdanova of RBC Wealth Management concluded that wars and conflicts generally do not prevent U.S. markets from continuing their long-term growth. There is often an initial period of uncertainty, which can lead to a temporary market drop, but that is most often followed by an upward surge of the market. In fact, in 19 of the 20 post-World War II military conflicts that the analysis covered, the S&P 500 Index fully recovered from its initial decline in an average of just 28 days. The market recovered surprisingly quickly, historically speaking.

Even when there were initial drops in the S&P 500, the average initial pullback was just 6%, not enough to be classified as a “market correction”.

The takeaways? Wars and other disruptions happen, and oftentimes the markets fall with the news. That’s part of investing. If you’re not ready to ride that out with your portfolio, you may be invested too aggressively. Investors who do ride out the storm have been rewarded again and again across history.

The best solution is to invest in a way that matches your goals, timelines and risk tolerance. Don’t let short-term events throw you off track and prevent you from achieving your goals. Invest in a way that is sustainable and appropriate for you, which may be different from the water cooler investing talk at work. Wars are bad enough for their human toll; don’t let them ruin your portfolio as well.

How ever you choose to handle market disruptions, invest smartly and invest well!

Larry Sidney is a Zephyr Cove-based Investment Advisor Representative. Information is found at https://palisadeinvestments.com/ or by calling 775-299-4600 x702. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities. Clients may hold positions mentioned in this article. Past Performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.