This year has served as a good reminder that stocks don't move up in a straight line -- even if 2021 made you believe they did. For instance, the benchmark S&P 500, which is viewed as an encompassing measure of broad-market health, turned in its worst first-half performance in 52 years.

It's been an even tougher slog for the growth-dependent Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC). The index largely credited with pulling the stock market out of the COVID-19 pandemic doldrums has shed as much as 34% of its value following its November closing high. This put the Nasdaq squarely in the grips of a bear market.

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Source Fool.com