Insights Investments

Today, we take a look at what’s worked defensively during the current rising rate period. I’m emphasizing “current” because every rising rate period has its own characteristics. To do this, we’ve looked at all S&P 500 drawdowns of more than 5% since September 2020. In some of these periods, bonds did “work” as a diversifier—in …

Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts focus on why stocks are at all-time highs, profit margins/earnings, the AI buildout, and why the Strait is still not really open despite headlines. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts …

Tech investors last week digested earnings reports that largely confirmed prior beliefs: semiconductors remain vibrant, while software remains challenged. Intel’s report highlighted the fundamental strength investors expected as AI agents grow. In contrast, ServiceNow’s report failed to meet expectations despite some optimistic commentary. Intel’s Agentic Outlook Shares of Intel traded to a new all-time high …

What may seem like a singular holding in your portfolio may be held twice, three times, or more unintentionally. In portfolio construction today, allocations are becoming more prevalent to feature ETFs, rather than simply relying on single stock choices. Not only is the usage of ETFs growing, but they are constantly being created by asset …

Kevin Warsh sat before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday for the start of his confirmation hearings as the next Chair of the Federal Reserve. He sidestepped most of the political gotchas, reiterated his commitment to Fed independence, and outlined what amounts to a reform agenda: replacing the Fed’s inflation models, shrinking the balance sheet, …

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit new all-time highs last week, and as our friend Sam Ro wrote on his substack (T’ker), this isn’t sitting well with many people. There’s also a steady stream of commentary along the lines of “this doesn’t make sense” and “risk assets are detached from reality.” Or that markets are …

In Episode 184 of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist at Carson Group, dig into one of the most historic 13-day market rallies ever recorded and ask the question most investors are afraid to answer: Are the lows for 2026 already in? Ryan and …

“Do something you love and you’ve never worked a day in your life.” Tony Bennett The bull market is back, with stocks back at new highs amid one of the strongest short-term rallies in history. Although many lost faith in the bull market back in March, we’d argue the bull never left. Remember, volatility is the …

Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts focus on key inflation metrics, sentiment, and how equities have started to look past the current crisis. 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: Apr. 13-17  

Bank earnings this week offered a timely reminder that the U.S. consumer remains a far more durable force than many narratives suggest. The data produced by the largest financial institutions paints a picture of accelerating growth and improving credit quality, a combination not often seen. Banks are also finding themselves increasingly tied to the AI …

Consumer sentiment has collapsed irrespective of which metric you look at. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index just crashed to the lowest level in the survey’s history – even below what we saw during the depths of the Great Financial Crisis in 2008-2009, Covid in April-May 2020, and even the stagflationary 1970s. Surely things …