Investments
Inflation Is Headed Lower, and That Means Rate Cuts Are Coming
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report was a welcome “surprise” after a string of uncomfortably hot inflation reports. I put quotes around the word surprise, because in January and April, there was nothing within the inflation data or outside of it (e.g. inflation expectations, wage growth data) that suggested inflation was on a persistently higher …
Sonu Varghese
June 13, 2024
Earnings for the Long Run
Carson’s VP, Global Macro Strategist Sonu Varghese and Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick spoke with Dr. Jeremy Siegel in our latest Facts versus Feelings podcast, and I couldn’t but help borrow the title of this blog from the title of his must-read book, Stocks for the Long Run. Dr. Siegel has had such a strong …
Barry Gilbert
June 12, 2024
Timeless Lessons with Professor Jeremy Siegel
It’s always a great time to talk with a key individual in the industry, and today we are excited to welcome back Professor Jeremy Siegel! In this special episode of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group sit down with Professor …
Ryan Detrick
June 12, 2024
When Do You Know It Is Time for A New Job?
“One door closes and another one opens.” Old saying that you hate to hear when it is you, but it is so true. Today’s blog will be much different than what I normally do, but I get asked these questions quite often so I wanted to share my own story. I’ve been fired, laid off, …
Ryan Detrick
June 11, 2024
Powering Up: AI’s Impact on the Power Grid
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries worldwide. Amidst the excitement over AI’s transformative power, there looms a pertinent concern: its impact on energy consumption. While data centers currently constitute a small percentage of US electricity usage, utility companies are already preparing for demand to continue to grow. But there is an offset. Even amidst AI’s …
Blake Anderson
June 10, 2024
May Payrolls Tell Us the Consumer Is Not Weakening
Job growth continues to catch most people by surprise, rising 272,000 in May. That was well above expectations for a 180,000 gain. In fact, “whisper” expectations (as much as one can glean from online chatter amongst economists and strategies) seemed to be tilted to a downside surprise, perhaps close to 150,000. Mostly because we’ve had …
Sonu Varghese
June 7, 2024
Three Things for the Bulls
“I’ve had 36 orthopedic operations, have two fused ankles, my knees, hands and wrists don’t work, I now have a fused spine, other than that, everything is great.” -Hall of Fame basketball player Bill Walton First off, RIP to Bill Walton. He was one of a kind and his glass-is-half-full attitude on life is something …
Ryan Detrick
June 6, 2024
How High Interest Rates Are Benefitting Many Households
In recent blogs we discussed the strength of household balance sheets and also how higher wages have been more than offsetting inflation, including for lower income workers. Today, we look at a third piece that helps explain consumer strength, the offsetting impact of higher rates on savers and borrowers. Consumers are penalized by higher rates …
Barry Gilbert
June 5, 2024
How Worried Should We Be About a Slowing Economy?
As whispers of a slowing economy grow louder, investors strive for clarity. In this episode, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist at Carson Group, dissect the current economic signals and their implications for investors. They explore the recent stock market reactions to political events and delve …
Ryan Detrick
June 5, 2024
Consumer Confidence Is Likely Low Because Americans Are Stuck
Poor consumer confidence has been bit of a puzzle recently, given historically low unemployment and easing inflation. In fact, the “misery index,” which is the sum of the inflation rate and the unemployment rate, looks quite normal. It sits at 7.3% as of April, which is below the historical average (1950-2023) of 9.3%. Meanwhile, consumer …
Sonu Varghese
June 4, 2024
Under the Hood: 5 Takeaways First Quarter Earnings
“Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections, than lost in the corrections themselves.” – Peter Lynch, Magellan Fund Manager The first quarter earnings season brought mostly positive news for investors, including the fastest earnings growth in five of the last six quarters. Many companies have seemingly recovered from pandemic-induced turmoil, …
Carson Group
June 3, 2024
Big Picture: There’s No Inflation Resurgence
Hotter-than-expected inflation data in the first quarter led to a lot of concern that inflation is likely to rear its ugly head again. However, as I pointed out in several blogs over the first few months of the year (including two weeks ago), there was really no need to panic if you just peeked under …
Sonu Varghese
May 31, 2024