Oil, Investment Markets, and a Possible Bottom

As we begin a new quarter amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East and elevated oil prices, many investors are asking what this means for the economy and their portfolios. In this short video, recorded earlier this month, Bob Graham, President of Riggs Asset Management, shares how we were interpreting recent volatility and where we saw signs that a potential bottoming process was beginning to take shape.

Since Bob recorded this update, there has been a tentative ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, sparking a strong relief rally in global markets and a pullback in oil prices. Stocks have moved sharply higher as investors react to reduced near‑term geopolitical risk, while oil has eased from recent extremes, taking some immediate pressure off risk assets.

These developments are consistent with the themes Bob highlights in the video: the importance of watching oil and the bond market together, the improving breadth beneath the surface of the equity markets, and the tendency for election‑year markets to experience early‑year turbulence before potentially stronger periods later in the year. Our team is using this environment to selectively add to areas showing improving trends—particularly in parts of the market that benefit from broader participation—while keeping a close eye on geopolitical risks and inflation as we move through this fragile ceasefire period.