Investments
Why the Job Market Feels Broken for People My Age
Almost every friend of mine who has looked for a job this year has a similar story. They sent out dozens of applications, sometimes hundreds, and heard back from maybe two or three. The ones who landed something usually knew someone on the inside. For a long time, the advice was simple. Get good grades, …
Harry McDonald
October 15, 2026
Nine Charts on Midterm Elections
“If the opposite of pro is con, then the opposite of progress must be Congress.” Sam Stovall, Chief Investment Strategist at CFRA Ready or not, midterm elections are coming. We’ve already discussed them in detail in Midterm Elections Don’t Matter a Whole Lot to Markets, but Here’s What Might, but I wanted to share …
Ryan Detrick
October 14, 2026
The Bull Market Turns Four (FvF Ep. 209)
In Episode 209 of Facts vs Feelings, Carson Group’s Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist, celebrate the bull market turning four. With the S&P 500 up about 128% on a price basis and 131% including dividends since October 2022, the hosts note that no bull market in the last 50 …
Ryan Detrick
October 14, 2026
Can Rate Hikes Slow the AI Boom? The Fed Asked the Same Question in 1999
By Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist, and Harry McDonald, Analyst, Investment Research The Fed raised interest rates in September for the first time since 2023, and the AI spending boom hasn’t slowed. The New York Times recently explained why: if a company expects an AI project to earn double-digit returns, borrowing at 6% instead of …
Sonu Varghese
October 13, 2026
Charts of the Week: Oct. 5-9
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts cover the S&P 500’s return breakdown, where inflation is coming from, and how year 5 of a bull market has historically not been a sell signal. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, …
Carson Research
October 12, 2026
Household Debt
U.S. household balance sheets present an increasingly contradictory picture. Americans collectively own more valuable homes, larger retirement accounts, and more financial assets, yet a growing share of families are struggling to meet their monthly obligations. Recent reporting on rising credit balances and persistent delinquencies has highlighted this tension. The Federal Reserve’s October 2026 Survey of …
Carson Research
October 12, 2026
The Bull Market Turns Four 🎂
“Bull markets are like a cruise ship. Once they get moving, they are hard to slow down, hard to stop, and very hard to turn around.” Ryan Detrick, Carson Group Chief Market Strategist What a ride the past four years have been. If you’ve been following us this entire time, we thank you. We …
Ryan Detrick
October 9, 2026
Here’s Why the S&P 500 Just Hit a New All-Time High Despite Rising Interest Rates
The S&P 500 hit a new all-time high on Tuesday (October 6th), its first since August 13th. The index is up 14.2% year-to-date, or 15.2% including dividends. Many folks seem confused about why stocks are doing so well even as bond yields keep rising. The 10-year Treasury yield is at 5.29%, and the 30-year is …
Sonu Varghese
October 8, 2026
New Highs Are Here, But the Party Isn’t Over Yet
“I have a theory that the truth is never told during the nine-to-five hours.” Hunter Thompson, American Journalist and Author For the first time since August 13, the S&P 500 closed at a new all-time high! Congratulations to all the bulls out there who held firm, even when we were told repeatedly why a …
Ryan Detrick
October 7, 2026
Market Breadth is Overrated (FvF Ep. 208)
In Episode 208 of Facts vs Feelings, Carson Group’s Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist, make the case that market breadth is overrated. With the S&P 500 less than half a percent from an all-time high and the Nasdaq printing a new record, the hosts explain why tech and tech-adjacent …
Ryan Detrick
October 7, 2026
The AI Capex Boom Is Boosting Activity and Prices
I’ve written a lot this year about an inflationary growth environment (strong economic activity alongside rising prices). We flagged this in our 2026 Outlook (and again in our Midyear Outlook), and the latest update of our proprietary Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the US points to exactly that: strong nominal growth, boosted by inflation, which …
Sonu Varghese
October 6, 2026
Charts of the Week: Sept. 28 – Oct. 2
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts cover inflation, the new jobs report, consumer confidence, and how this time period has been historically the strongest time in the 4-year presidential cycle. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts …
Carson Research
October 5, 2026