Investments
What’s Next for Crypto?
Digital assets had another great year in 2024, led by strength in Bitcoin and ETF inflows, catalyzed further by the new administration. However, as we enter more volatility in February of 2025, the prospect of higher prices now appears to be in question. Bitcoin hovers around 22% below its all-time high, but other major digital …
Grant Engelbart
February 28, 2025
Nvidia’s Earnings Meet Expectations
Nvidia released its latest earnings report after market close on Wednesday, delivering results that largely met expectations. Despite increased volatility in the stock recently, which included a record one-day market cap loss, the company’s fundamentals appear strong, customer demand remains robust. While investors can never know with certainty how the future unfolds, Nvidia’s latest results …
Blake Anderson
February 27, 2025
Denominator Blindness
In the latest episode of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, break down the latest market trends, inflation data, and what’s driving stocks to all-time highs despite ongoing concerns about tariffs, interest rates, and other economic uncertainty. Key Takeaways: Markets at All-Time Highs: Despite concerns about tariffs, …
Ryan Detrick
February 26, 2025
That Escalated Quickly
“Boy, that escalated quickly.” Ron Burgundy of Anchorman This isn’t a surprise They say the stock market takes the escalator up, but the elevator down and the past four days have sure felt like an elevator down. It feels like a long time ago, but exactly one week ago the S&P 500 was at a …
Ryan Detrick
February 26, 2025
Lessons From Buffett: Dividends Are Tax-Inefficient, and Hurts Compounding
“In a very minor way, Berkshire shareholders have participated in the American miracle by foregoing dividends, thereby electing to reinvest rather than consume.” – Warren Buffett, Berkshire Shareholder Letter, 2025 The quote above is from Warren Buffett’s latest missive to Berkshire shareholders, and as usual, it does not miss. There are several nuggets of wisdom …
Sonu Varghese
February 25, 2025
Mighty Mid-Caps
Mid-Cap stocks have had a strong start to 2025. The iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (trading under IWP) has outperformed both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 ETFs so far this year. In fact, the recent surge in this index is reaching historical levels, with concentration in the index at a decade-high. This heightened …
Blake Anderson
February 24, 2025
5 Reasons Why We’re Not Worried about Rising Credit Card Debt
Every quarter the New York Federal Reserve releases its household credit and debt report and we get a flurry of headlines about rising credit card debt, and rising delinquencies. As always with these things, it’s important to maintain some perspective. One: Household Leverage is Actually Reducing Credit card debt rose 3.9% last quarter (Q4 2024) …
Sonu Varghese
February 21, 2025
Animal Spirits Are Flagging, but There’s Plenty of Time to Get Back on Track
Let’s get it on the table. Of all the charts that raise concerns for me about the economy right now, despite a still solid base case, the one below worries me the most. Not for what it represents in itself but for what it says about where we are in the cycle in general. The …
Barry Gilbert
February 20, 2025
Eggscellent Inflation or Not
Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, dive into the rising cost of eggs and other factors contributing to inflation stickiness. They also discuss the stock market flirting with an all-time high, when to expect cuts from the Fed, and much more. Key Takeaways: The S&P 500 is near an …
Ryan Detrick
February 19, 2025
Why This Valentine’s Day Wasn’t Red, It Was Green
“There are no bad assets, only bad prices.” Howard Marks, Co-chairman of Oaktree Capital Management As of last Friday, the S&P 500 was only 0.07% away from yet another new all-time high. It is up a very solid 4.0% year to date, after gaining 23% last year and 24% in 2023. (Both were over 25% …
Ryan Detrick
February 18, 2025
DC, We Have a Problem
Over the last two years, markets have been able to tune out a pretty dour national mood, with the S&P 500 gaining 25%+ in 2023 and 2024. In fact, real GDP growth clocked in at 2.9% annualized over the last two years, above the pre-pandemic trend. Sentiment was downbeat, but this didn’t really crimp consumer …
Sonu Varghese
February 13, 2025
Besides Tariffs, What Else Scares Us
Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, discuss the biggest economic and market concerns beyond tariffs. They dive into historical market indicators, the Federal Reserve’s stance on interest rates, employment trends, and whether the third year of a bull market signals trouble. The duo also touches on global markets, the …
Ryan Detrick
February 12, 2025