Articles authored by Carson Research

Thanks for reading our Charts of the 2026 Outlook In this special edition, we’ve pulled together the charts we think matter most as we look ahead to the year to come, covering the economy, markets, policy, and the forces shaping investment outcomes in 2026. Rather than a weekly snapshot, this is a broader look at …

As we look back at 2025, it’s fair to say the wall of worry was higher than ever. We started last year with pundits warning that the “delayed” recession was finally arriving. We saw massive volatility around “Liberation Day” in April, where the S&P 500 nearly fell into a bear market. We heard constant chatter …

Charts of the Week Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week! We’ll continue to highlight key charts and themes shaping markets. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest update!

Well, that’s a wrap on 2025. While the year came with its share of volatility, shifting narratives, and policy uncertainty, markets once again proved resilient. Beneath the headline moves, several powerful themes shaped returns, from inflationary growth signals and earnings durability to global divergence, commodity portfolio allocation, and investor behavior during drawdowns. To help close …

Authored by Michael Barczak, CFA, VP Retirement Plans – Investments   President Trump just signed an executive order that could set the stage for a major shift in workplace retirement plans. The order directs the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to take a fresh look at how alternative assets …

Earlier this month, we addressed three key sectors to watch during this upcoming earnings season: Financials, Energy and Consumer Discretionary. Each of these three sectors are dealing with challenges (or tailwinds, in the case of Energy) of their own. But under the surface, we find that Communications Services and Technology may also come under scrutiny …

Barry Gilbert, Vice President, Asset Allocation Strategist There is a commonly shared chart out there (with lots of slightly different variations) that has occasionally run into some criticism. The chart shows stock market returns if you missed the best market days each year. Carson’s version is below. The point of the chart is straightforward and …

I’ve looked at thousands of portfolios over my career, most of them made up of mutual funds and/or ETFs but sometimes with individual stocks and bonds thrown in or even making up the entire portfolio. One thing that has repeatedly struck me is how sometimes adding “more,” more positions, more asset types, more specialized pieces, …

Barry Gilbert, Vice President, Asset Allocation Strategist This is my inaugural blog as a member of the Carson Group Investment Research Team. I am thrilled to be at Carson and to have the opportunity to work with such a great community of advisors. There will be a lot of data and charts to come in …

Six months ago we were one of the only places that said there wouldn’t be a recession in ’23 and stocks could do quite well, maybe even hitting new highs with some good news. To say that wasn’t a popular call would be a major understatement. Now after one of the best starts to a …