Insights Investments

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” -General Patton   The quote above is one that I’ve used more in my career than probably any other quote. Markets are all about what is priced in and what isn’t, suggesting that the big opportunities can be found by going against the crowd in some …

“It’s obvious that studying history and philosophy was much better preparation for the stock market than, say, studying statistics. Investing in stocks is an art, not a science, and people who’ve been trained to rigidly quantify everything have a big disadvantage.” -Peter Lynch   For more than twenty years, I’ve invested in individual stocks with …

Discover the transformative power of AI as we explore its impact on the tech industry and beyond! This week on the Facts vs Feelings podcast, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group & Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, chat with Dan Ives, Managing Director, Equity Research at Wedbush Securities. They …

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”- Winston Churchill   After more than a 30% total return on the S&P 500 the past 12 calendar months, a five month win streak, and a 27% rally in the first 100 trading days off the late October lows, we could finally be looking …

As the daffodils bloom, signaling the arrival of spring, it’s also time for the earnings season to commence for the first quarter. Despite the S&P 500’s impressive double-digit rally to start the year, expectations for Q1 remain modest, with analysts forecasting just under 4% earnings growth. However, forecasts suggest a significant acceleration, culminating in double-digit …

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about the interest rate environment, and especially what might happen to longer-term rates if the Federal Reserve (“Fed”) begins to cut the fed funds rate, even though the short-term increase in rates has been front of mind, but we’ll cover that as well. I’m going to cut to …

Short answer: likely not. Make no mistake, inflation ran hot in the first quarter, especially relative to the fourth quarter of 2023. The March Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was an unwelcome surprise. Both headline and core inflation (excluding food and energy) came in above expectations. Headline inflation is up 3.5% from last year, and …

“George Washington was the only president who didn’t blame the previous administration.” -Source unknown   How’s that for a title for a blog? Now that I have your attention, let’s talk a little bit about election years. We are getting the question of who is better for stocks a lot lately and given the election …

With the bull market we have had for several months now, it is normal for some to have doubts about its continuation. What can we expect for the markets? How is the economy doing and why should investors consider it? In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group & Sonu Varghese, VP, …

The recent proxy battle between the Walt Disney Company and Nelson Peltz thrust shareholder discontent into the spotlight, underscoring concerns about the company’s performance. While activist investors like Peltz often come under fire for their short-term focus and disruptive methods, Disney’s struggles over the past four years warranted closer scrutiny. Peltz mounted a robust campaign, …

We’ve been getting good news about the labor market in recent months – job growth has been strong, and the unemployment rate has been below 4% for 26 straight months (the longest streak since the late 1960s). However, there were some concerns at the edges if you looked hard enough. The March payroll report set …