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In fact, even without the damage inflicted recently by Mr. Trump’s policies, it’s possible that the dollar would be declining anyway, if only because it had reached historically elevated levels. Consider this performance:In 2024, the dollar rose more than 7 percent, measured by the Dollar Index, and 9 percent, using the Nominal Broad U.S. Dollar Index.Taking inflation into account by using the Fed’s Real Broad Trade-Weighted Index, the dollar rose almost 23 percent over the 20 years through March.Late last year, using this broad, inflation-adjusted index, the dollar was stronger...

“Inflation is a low drip, like boiling a frog: The impact kind of creeps up on you, but when it hits, it doesn’t feel good,” Mr. Haynes said.Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can bail out of stocks now, then jump back in when the market stabilizes. Gains historically have come in unpredictable spurts, and the biggest advances often come within days of the worst declines. If you missed the 10 best days over the 20 years from 2005 to 2024, you would have reduced your returns by more than...

The mood has darkened in the U.S. stock market, and no wonder. Pessimism about the Trump tariffs has set off painful declines.But the picture has been less dire for people with investments outside the U.S. stock market. Holding plenty of bonds and including stakes in international stock markets were keys to stability and, maybe, even modestly positive returns in the first three months of the year. While there is no guarantee that this approach will work as well in the future, it has held its own over many years and...