Investors are saying goodbye to the first half of 2022 after the U.S. stock market suffered its worst performance in 50 years, driven by inflation and recession fears.
In the first six months of 2022, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 15.31 percent. The Nasdaq Composite Index, which slipped into a bear market this past spring, cratered 29.51 percent. The S&P 500 fell 20.58 percent, sliding into bearish territory last month.  
Other assets slipped in the first half. Gold prices declined 1.36 percent to $1,805 an ounce, while silver plunged 13.6 percent to $20.165 per ounce. Copper also recorded a significant slump so far this year, plummeting 17.29 percent to $3.688 a pound.  …