2021 has been another year of disruption. The pandemic has continued to affect lives, and supply-chain disruptions and inflation are having a far-reaching impact on the economy.

In the past, it might have sounded too easy to summarize a year by saying it’s been unlike any other. But 2021 has been a year spent navigating truly uncharted territory — the second calendar year of the Covid-19 pandemic; the first months of the vaccine era; continued economic and social fallout from the pandemic; changes in political leadership; and the mainstreaming of new technologies.

American investors may be hearing varying messages about how long the current period of inflation may last and how much higher prices are likely to go. But they’re receiving a consistent message from one source — their wallets.

Interruptions in the supply chain have made scarcity a day-to-day business reality in 2021, impacting the availability of manufacturing components, finished products on store shelves, and the cost of everything from cars to books to new homes.