Investments
Why Mom and Pop Might Now Be the Smart Money
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” Warren Buffett, Chairperson at Berkshire Hathaway We’ve been talking a lot the how during this near bear market and historic bounce back of 2025, retail investors have been buying aggressively, while institutional money managers have been scared and underinvested. Historically, we’ve …
Ryan Detrick
May 27, 2025
You Never Know
“You never know when you will get that call. Enjoy yourself.” Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group Today is the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, which is a day I will never forget. One year ago today my baby brother called me, which at first seemed similar to the thousands of other times …
Ryan Detrick
May 23, 2025
How Meaningful Is the US Debt Downgrade by Moody’s?
Short answer: not very much. The longer answer is also pretty much the same thing, but it’s really the context around the debt downgrade, and especially the US fiscal situation, that raises important questions, not the downgrade by itself. Last Friday evening (May 16th), Moody’s finally joined their counterparts at S&P and Fitch in downgrading …
Sonu Varghese
May 21, 2025
Talking About Everything With Skanda Amarnath
In the latest episode of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, are joined by returning guest Skanda Amarnath, Executive Director of Employ America, as they dive deep into macroeconomic dynamics, market reactions, and policy shifts. Together, they examine inflation metrics, shifting recession probabilities, the role of tariffs, …
Ryan Detrick
May 21, 2025
What Happened Last Week Was Rare and Likely Quite Bullish
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues What a week last week was, as the S&P 500 gained more than 3% on Monday after a 90-day pause in tariffs with China was announced. Incredibly, stocks gained the next four days as well. March 2003 was …
Ryan Detrick
May 20, 2025
Autonomous Vehicles Accelerate
Autonomous Vehicles (‘AVs’) have rapidly shifted from hype to help. Long touted as a transformational technology, AVs have often been discussed with uncertain timelines for adoption. But recent breakthroughs from Waymo and Uber show accelerating usage and growing profitability—key signals that AVs may finally be here to stay. With momentum building, your next ride could …
Blake Anderson
May 19, 2025
Two Big Things to Keep an Eye On
In our 2025 Outlook, we highlighted the threat of tariffs and risk of elevated interest rates if the Federal Reserve doesn’t cut. Well, both have manifested now. Average tariff rates, even after the China pause, are at the highest level since 1934 — rising from 2.4% at the start of the year to 17.8%. If …
Sonu Varghese
May 16, 2025
Why Lower Oil Prices Haven’t Translated to Relief at the Pump
Oil prices have collapsed in recent months, with WTI crude oil prices now closer to $60/barrel after hitting $80/barrel in mid-January. Prices are down over 10% from the beginning of the year, and over 20% from peak levels in January. Normally, you’d think this would translate to lower prices at the pump. But that’s not …
Sonu Varghese
May 15, 2025
3 Takeaways from a Near-Bear Market
It may be a little early to do a post-mortem on the February 19 – April 8, 2025 near-bear market, but maybe it’s not too early to find perspective that we didn’t have “in the moment.” Despite the unusual driver of this particular near-bear market, really just a single actor (who also gets credit for …
Barry Gilbert
May 14, 2025
Holy Smokes, Are the Lows In?
In this week’s episode of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, break down the surprising market rally, major developments in the U.S.-China trade situation, and what the latest economic signals mean for investors. After weeks of tariff tension and fear of global slowdown, calmer heads may finally …
Ryan Detrick
May 14, 2025
Why This Rally Is Like a Beach Ball Under Water
“Far more money has been lost by investors preparing for corrections, or trying to anticipate corrections, than has been lost in corrections themselves.” Peter Lynch, famed mutual fund manager What a few months for investors. After crashing more than 10% only two days after Liberation Day on April 2, fear and panic were in the …
Ryan Detrick
May 13, 2025
Tech Leaders Testify
Leaders from some of the companies at the forefront of the AI Revolution appeared on Capitol Hill this week to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee. Their remarks focused primarily on America’s artificial intelligence capabilities amid a dynamic geotechnical landscape. These leaders emphasized the benefits of building with technological freedom and pointed to competitive …
Blake Anderson
May 12, 2025