Investments
The 60/40 Portfolio: A Historical Powerhouse or a Rate-Dependent Misinterpretation?
In the world of portfolio construction, the classic 60/40 split, 60% equities and 40% bonds, has long been hailed as a balanced approach to weathering market storms. It’s like the reliable minivan of investing: not flashy, but designed to get you through various terrains with a mix of growth potential and stability. But what if …
Harry McDonald
March 11, 2026
When Diversification Disappears
The last several years have been unusually favorable for investors. Equities have delivered strong returns, bonds have recovered meaningfully, and credit has remained resilient. For many portfolios, nearly everything has worked. And when everything works, diversification often goes unquestioned. There is an irony in how we respond to diversification, or more precisely, to correlation. When …
Kevin Bruce
March 11, 2026
Talking About AI with Steve Hou and Kai Wu (Ep. 178)
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines and investment flows, but understanding the technology behind it requires looking beyond the hype and into the structure of the ecosystem itself. In this episode of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist at Carson Group, sit down with …
Ryan Detrick
March 11, 2026
Charts of the Week: March 2-6
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week. This week’s charts focus on the current oil situation, inflation, macro data, and how real assets may help during periods of elevated inflation. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts of the Week: Mar. …
Carson Research
March 9, 2026
Chatbots Drive Business Growth
By Blake Anderson, CFA®, Associate Portfolio Manager Investors received concrete proof points that LLMs and chatbots are beginning to act as business generators, not just efficiency imperatives. What began as an internal productivity story is steadily evolving into a top-line growth narrative. Instead of merely reducing costs, AI interfaces are increasingly shaping customer discovery, influencing …
Blake Anderson
March 9, 2026
The Fed Has a Big Problem on Their Hands
The February payroll report was an ugly one, and a bit of a mess. The economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, whereas forecasters projected a gain of 55,000. We saw significant revisions for the last two months as well: December payrolls were revised down by 65,000, from +48,000 to -17,000. January payrolls were revised down …
Sonu Varghese
March 6, 2026
Back to the Real World
A resounding, and sometimes frustrating, feature of markets is that leadership change is inevitable over any period of time studied. The “A.I. Trade” has been prevalent for the past couple of years, absent some blips here and there (DeepSeek, Liberation Day, etc). In some ways, the A.I. trade has started turning upon itself – previous …
Grant Engelbart
March 5, 2026
Markets Coming Back to Our Rate View and How to Invest
If you haven’t read it already, in yesterday’s insightful blog, Carson’s Chief Macro Strategist Sonu Varghese provided an update on inflation expectations given the expanding (for now) conflict in the Middle East. For the basic takeaway, just look at the title: The Inflation Outlook Doesn’t Look Good. Now that’s not 2022 “doesn’t look good.” But …
Barry Gilbert
March 4, 2026
We’ve Got a Lot of Problems (Ep. 177)
Oil spikes. Gas jumps above $3. Inflation expectations shift in a matter of days. Suddenly the market isn’t debating disinflation or AI productivity. It’s asking whether we’re entering a new inflation shock. In Episode 177 of Facts vs. Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist at Carson …
Ryan Detrick
March 4, 2026
The Inflation Outlook Doesn’t Look Good
War tends to be inflationary, period. Especially one in the Middle East that drives up oil prices. Since Friday, WTI crude prices have risen over 10% to $76/barrel, while Brent prices rose over 15% to $83/barrel. That doesn’t sound like a lot given the magnitude of hostilities in the region, but as Ryan wrote in …
Sonu Varghese
March 3, 2026
Charts of the Week: Feb. 23-27
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week. This week’s charts focus on the current housing situation, inflation, macro data, and a great chart of how stocks do after major events! We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts of the Week: Feb. …
Carson Research
March 2, 2026
10 Things Everyone Needs To Know About The US/Iran Conflict
The Chinese word for ‘crisis’ has two symbols. One is ‘danger,’ and the other is ‘opportunity.’ On Saturday, the US and Israel struck Iran in a large-scale attack that included the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top leadership. There are more questions than answers right now, but in the …
Ryan Detrick
March 2, 2026