Investments
2024 Year in Review: ETF Edition
This time of year has no shortage of year-end reviews and year-ahead prognostications, with none other than our own 2025 outlook releasing in mere days. I want to take a look at the year that was through the lens of various Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), their asset growth, returns, and problems solved for investors along the …
Grant Engelbart
January 9, 2025
2024 Market Returns Were a Story About Profitability
The S&P 500 followed up on 2023’s 26.3% total return with a 25% return in 2024. And unlike in 2023, this was largely a story of rising profits, and expectations of profit growth continuing. The S&P 500’s forward 12-month earnings per share ended the year at $272, a 12.4% increase from its value of $242 …
Sonu Varghese
January 8, 2025
2024: What We Got Right, What We Got Wrong
How do market strategists assess their predictions and refine their strategies for the future? In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, reflect on 2024’s market outcomes. They explore what they anticipated correctly, where they misjudged, and how these insights shape their …
Ryan Detrick
January 8, 2025
What Happens After Stocks Gain 20%?
“How do you like them apples?” Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting Welcome to 2025! First off, 2024 was a great year for investors, but it was one of the weakest final five days we’ve ever seen and the worst since 2005. Not to mention Santa Claus didn’t come, which you can read more about …
Ryan Detrick
January 7, 2025
Software AND Semiconductors
The age-old debate between technology investors was on prime display in 2024. While both the semiconductor and software industries had stellar performance in 2024 relative to broader market-cap weighted indices, it was a tale of two halves. I’m reminded, often, how debates, such as ‘software or semis,’ surface throughout markets, but may often be distracting. …
Blake Anderson
January 6, 2025
7 Policy Mistakes That Could Undermine Our Bullish Policy Outlook
“If pro is the opposite of con, does that make progress the opposite of Congress?” -famous quip The 119th Congress is being sworn in today, with Republicans taking over majority leadership in the Senate and holding onto the House with the narrowest majority in the history of the Republican party. So we thought it would …
Barry Gilbert
January 3, 2025
6 Nominees for 2024 Chart of the Year
Well, that’s a wrap on 2024. The S&P 500 finished the year with a total return of 25%, the second consecutive year over 20%, which hasn’t happened since 1998 and 1999. (Lest the bubble brigade raise an eyebrow at that last year, that was the fifth consecutive year of a total return over 20%.) There’s …
Barry Gilbert
January 2, 2025
The Thriving Advisor with Dr. Phil Pearlman
How can advisors truly thrive in their personal and professional lives? Dr. Phil Pearlman brings a refreshing perspective, blending psychology, health, and financial strategy to empower advisors to achieve peak performance. In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, sit down with …
Ryan Detrick
January 1, 2025
Seven Important Things to Remember in 2025
“Stocks take the escalator up, but the elevator down.” Old investing axiom It’s New Year’s Eve today and 2025 is just around the corner. We know 2025 will bring with it new worries, concerns, and fears, but also new opportunities. But it is also important to take a step back sometimes and realize there are …
Ryan Detrick
December 31, 2024
A Magnificent Year
2024 has seen continued outperformance from the ‘Magnificent 7’ group of stocks. Year to date through December 24th, an equal weight portfolio of these 7 stocks has returned 69.0% versus a gain of 26.5% for the S&P 500 (FactSet data). This year builds on years of outperformance for this group as an equal weight portfolio …
Blake Anderson
December 30, 2024
Revisiting 12 Predictions From Our 2024 Outlook: What We Got Right, and Wrong
As we get ready to release our 2025 Outlook, I thought now would be a good time to revisit our 2024 Outlook. I recognize this is rare in our world, as it’s not often you see strategists revisit and reevaluate their calls. We don’t really think of ourselves as forecasters in the strict sense of …
Sonu Varghese
December 27, 2024
Did the Fed Kill Santa?
The market is navigating a period of heightened uncertainty, but key insights from this latest discussion will shed light on what’s driving sentiment and expectations. In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, analyze the recent Fed meeting, market reactions, and what’s …
Ryan Detrick
December 25, 2024