Investments
Just a Bit Outside
“Vaughn into the windup and his first offering …. Juuuuust a bit outside.” Harry Doyle (played by Bob Uecker) in the 1988 classic baseball movie Major League First things first, how funny was Major League? I was just a kid when it came out, but I’d watch that movie over and over growing up and …
Ryan Detrick
October 22, 2025
No Cockroaches in a Bull Market
In the latest episode of Facts vs. Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, welcome Kate Hall, VP of Alternative Due Diligence at Carson Group. They dive into the “cockroaches in a bull market” conversation—what it means for credit markets, how private credit has evolved, and why due diligence …
Ryan Detrick
October 22, 2025
Q3 2025 Market Commentary Blog
By Michael Barczak, CFA Bulls On Parade If the story of 2025 heading into the third quarter was one of “uncharted waters,” then Q3 held up its end of the bargain by flipping the script on history. Historically, the third quarter tends to be the weakest period for equities as investors contend with summer slowdowns …
Carson Group
October 21, 2025
Early Earnings Highlights
Financials top the list of early earnings highlights. The six largest companies in the group have traded higher since reporting robust results. These results come despite a backdrop of increasing economic worries and defaults at select customers. Many of these financial institutions have worked to capture demand and improve operations which together powered earnings estimates …
Blake Anderson
October 20, 2025
Remembering the 1987 Crash
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.” General George S. Patton Well, that October volatility and spookiness is happening, but to be honest, we aren’t surprised. Yes, worries over trade with China, regional banks, and private credit are taking “credit” for the recent weakness. (See how I did that?) But the truth is …
Ryan Detrick
October 17, 2025
Why Is Gold Surging?
Gold has now rallied a whopping 61% year-to-date (as of October 15th, 2025) and has rallied 25.7% since August 25th. That makes 2025 the metal’s second-best year since 1975—surpassed only by 1979’s 127% surge—and it follows strong gains in 2023 (+13%) and 2024 (+27%). We first added gold to our portfolios in March 2023 as …
Sonu Varghese
October 16, 2025
More About October Volatility And The Bull Market
And just like that, volatility is back. This isn’t a big surprise though, as we just had one of the least volatile periods in years, as the S&P 500 went 33 trading days in a row without a 1% move either up or down. This was the longest streak since right before Covid. Then considering …
Ryan Detrick
October 15, 2025
Oops…the China Trade War Is Back
In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, dive into the renewed tensions between the U.S. and China—what they’re calling “Trade War 3.0.” They break down the latest round of tariffs, China’s restrictions on rare earth exports, and what this means for markets, global trade, and investors. …
Ryan Detrick
October 15, 2025
US-China Trade War 3.0? Now What
Just as we were bracing for some stock market volatility after a whopping 35% 6-month rally for the S&P 500, we got the perfect catalyst: tariffs. President Trump announced on Friday that he will be imposing additional 100% tariffs on Chinese goods. Some highlights: These embargo-level tariffs, which would put a complete halt to most …
Sonu Varghese
October 14, 2025
Technology Earnings Preview
Technology’s earnings season is fast approaching. Expectations call for continued fundamental outperformance, and recent relative price performance hints that investors are buying tech rather than the broader market which sets a high bar. With the once-in-a-generation opportunity posed by AI, tech executives have been feverously making deals to help live up to these high-growth expectations. …
Blake Anderson
October 13, 2025
The Bull Market Turns Three
“Bull markets are like a cruise ship—once they get moving they are hard to slowdown and very hard to turn around.” Ryan Detrick, Carson Group’s Chief Market Strategist Can you believe it? The bull market turns three this Sunday. It might feel like a lifetime ago, but three years ago right now stocks were …
Ryan Detrick
October 10, 2025
Strengthening Portfolios with Less Understood Tools
Through generations of boom and bust in investing—granted all boom for those who think long term—there are terms and phrases that elicit positive and negative emotions. Perhaps the most famous and most widely cited is “this time is different” invoked during nearly every financial bubble or subsequent crisis. Don’t worry—I am not going to utter …
Grant Engelbart
October 9, 2025