Investments
Outlook 2025: The Fed May Be Key in 2025, And We Just Got Some Good News
Carson Investment Research released our 2025 Outlook: Animal Spirits on Tuesday. As we highlighted there, we think that economic strengths clearly outweigh areas of weakness in the year ahead, and the opportunities likely have a higher probability of coming to fruition than the threats. We believe that economic momentum, an easing Federal Reserve (Fed), and …
Sonu Varghese
January 17, 2025
Our 2025 Outlook: Animal Spirits is here!
As we look ahead to 2025, we know the scars of high inflation in 2022 and the higher interest rates that came with it are still with us. We’ve seen it in global elections, where incumbents have been rejected across the political spectrum. We’ve seen it in consumer sentiment surveys, which have improved but remain …
Sonu Varghese
January 16, 2025
2025 Outlook
How do market strategies evolve amidst economic shifts, policy adjustments, and investor behavior? In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, share their 2025 outlook. They delve into economic growth, earnings, policy impacts, and the potential paths for stocks and bonds. Ryan …
Ryan Detrick
January 15, 2025
Innovations from CES 2025
The 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (“CES”) took place this past week. To say AI-focused products stole the spotlight would be an understatement – AI practically was the show. Leading the charge was Nvidia, with CEO Jensen Huang opening the conference to preview the company’s latest advancements. Other companies, such as Delta Airlines, displayed their AI …
Blake Anderson
January 13, 2025
The Labor Market Is Solid (for Now), But Is Good News Bad News?
There have been a few signs that risks to the labor market are tilted to the downside, but the December payroll report went a long way towards easing them. The economy created 256,000 jobs in December, blowing past expectations for a 165,000 increase. Monthly numbers can be noisy and so a 3-month average is helpful. …
Sonu Varghese
January 10, 2025
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