Investments
Why July Brings the Bulls
“I am an optimist because I don’t see the point in being anything else.” -Abraham Lincoln And with that, the first half of the year is a wrap. What can we say other than all those calls for a recession and new bear market lows sure didn’t play out. We were one of the only …
Ryan Detrick
June 30, 2023
This is a Big Deal: Business Investment is Rising Again
We’ve been getting a string of “economic surprises” from the consumer side for several months now. Employment data is a prime example, with monthly payroll gains coming in above expectations for 14 straight months. For a change, we just got some good news from the business side, particularly business investment. The Census Bureau collects data …
Sonu Varghese
June 29, 2023
Things I’ve Learned Working with Advisors
Next month will mark my one-year anniversary with Carson Group! I’ve had a blast this past year and I can honestly say it has been the most fun I’ve ever had. It has now been more than seven years that I’ve worked with Advisors and had you told me 10 years ago I’d do this …
Ryan Detrick
June 28, 2023
A Tribute to Dr. Harry Markowitz, and Diversification
Rest in Peace, Dr./Professor Harry Markowitz, who passed last week at age 95. The picture shows him accepting the Nobel in Economics in 1990. Markowitz is known as the father of “Modern Portfolio Theory”, which for all practical purposes, told us that you should diversify your portfolio. Of course, it wasn’t like investors didn’t know …
Sonu Varghese
June 27, 2023
Why a Sunny Second Half of 2023 is Likely
Hello from cold and rainy Myrtle Beach! We are doing a family vacation in the second part of this week to North Myrtle Beach and we are stuck inside due to a ton of rain today. The next few days should be better, but I had some free time, so I decided to do a …
Ryan Detrick
June 23, 2023
Here’s Why Impressive Housing Data is Also Good News for Inflation
I discussed housing in my prior blog, and how that’s good news for the economy. Single-family starts and permits have been surging recently, which is something you typically see when coming out of recessions. As opposed to something that happens prior to an economic slowdown. In fact, we look set to break an 8-quarter streak …
Sonu Varghese
June 22, 2023
Good News on Housing and Why That’s a Big Deal for the Economy
Last month I wrote about how the housing market is rebounding, which is a really good sign for the economy. As I noted in that piece, residential investment has been a drag on the economy for 8 straight quarters. No surprise why: The Federal Reserve (Fed) began its most aggressive policy tightening cycle in 40+ …
Sonu Varghese
June 21, 2023
Why Stocks Could Make a New High in 2023
“So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” -Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber What a run it has been, with the S&P 500 up about 15 percent for the year as of Father’s Day. We came into this year expecting stocks to gain a total return of between 12-15%, which at the time was far …
Ryan Detrick
June 20, 2023
Four Things the Bulls Need to Know
“The stock market is the only place where things go on sale, yet everyone runs out of the store screaming.” -Old stock market axiom Here are four things that have caught my attention over the past week. First up, you might have heard by now, but the S&P 500 moved into a new bull market, …
Ryan Detrick
June 16, 2023
Why the Fed Wasn’t As Hawkish As Everyone Thinks
The Federal Reserve (Fed) didn’t raise rates in June, leaving the Federal Funds rate in the 5-5.25% range. This was the first meeting in which they held back ever since they started raising rates back in March 2022. However, the big news was that Fed members project rates to be 0.5%-points higher than what they …
Sonu Varghese
June 15, 2023
Why Strong Stock Returns on Friday is Bullish
One of the most hated and despised rallies continued last week, with the S&P now up nearly 12% on the year and officially up more than 20% from the October lows. If you’ve been reading or listening to what the Carson Investment Research team has been saying, then you know we’ve been in the camp …
Ryan Detrick
June 13, 2023
A New Bull Market: What’s Driving It?
The S&P 500 finally closed 20% above its October 12th (2022) closing low. This puts the index in “official” bull market territory. Of course, if you had been reading or listening to Ryan on our Facts vs Feelings podcast, you’d have heard him say that October 12th was the low. He actually wrote a piece …
Sonu Varghese
June 9, 2023