Articles authored by Barry Gilbert

I sometimes get asked about the most important things I consider when thinking about the longer-run outlook for markets. For me, the answer is easy. 1) In the long run, stocks track earnings because earnings drive returns. 2) In the long run, yields drive bond returns. That’s just two short sentences, but it’s the starting …

High short-term yields and leftover anxiety from 2022 led to underinvestment in bonds in 2025. 2022 bond losses were unusual, but some bond volatility is not. 2025 returns were partially driven by yields being pulled down by rate cuts. We believe that process may have run its course for longer-term yields. Uncertainty still makes bonds …

One of the most important myths when it comes to the value of a financial advisor is that the value lies primarily in selecting individual securities that provide better returns. But even when it comes just to portfolio returns (ignoring all the other ways a financial advisor helps clients reach financial goals), research suggests that’s …

The S&P 500 climbed 8.1% (including dividends) in the third quarter and made it five months in a row of gains to bring the index’s return to +14.8% for the year as of September 30. (Carson’s Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick shares insight on recent market strength in A Quarter for the History Books. Now …

The market cheered the July Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) inflation report released yesterday, August 13, 2025, but mostly because it was perceived to be good enough to keep the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) on track for a September rate cut. The market-implied odds for a September cut rose from 86% to 94% according to the CME …

“If pro is the opposite of con, does that make progress the opposite of Congress?” -famous quip On July 20, we passed the first six months of the second Trump administration, or 1/8 of the way into Donald Trump’s second term. Over time we have been updating our view of potential policy risks, within the …

When it comes to stocks, in the long run earnings are everything since the ability to grow earnings gives stocks their fundamental value, and in the long run earnings have followed a fairly steady path, with higher margins really since early 2000 offsetting lower sales due to slower global growth. On the other hand, in …

When it comes to portfolio management, what differentiates the Carson Investment Research team, or any other team, is not easy to capture. We work in an industry where there’s a lot of talent and there are many effective broad investment principles that are shared. Where standards and skill are high, just being able to demonstrate …

The Carson Investment Team was proud to release our Midyear Outlook 2025: Uncharted Waters this morning. Few would have thought at the April 8 lows, with the S&P 500 down nearly 20%, that markets would make such a furious comeback. Yet here we sit in early July with the S&P 500 at a total return …

Monday, June 30, concluded an extraordinary first half for markets. The end of the half is always a good time to look at what’s been happening in markets and think about implications for the second half of the year. Here are some highlights from the first half of the year and what they might tell …