The Labor Market Is Holding Up, But Inflation Is the Real Story
We’ve gotten a flurry of economic data over the past week, covering the labor market (JOLTS, the Employment Cost Index, ISM employment sub-indexes), personal income, and the broader pulse of the economy via the ISM Manufacturing and Services surveys. Layered on top of that, the big tech hyperscalers all reported earnings. While a lot, the …
Sell in May? With Jeff Hirsch (FvF Ep. 186)
In Episode 186 of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist at Carson Group, are joined by a genuine industry legend, Jeff Hirsch, Editor-in-Chief of the Stock Trader’s Almanac, now celebrating its 60th year. And yes, Jeff is also turning 60 this month. The conversation …
Why This Bull Market Could Have Years Left
“So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?” Lloyd Christmas in the classic comedy Dumb & Dumber Now that I have your attention with that title, let’s start with why the rest of 2026 could be strong, then we’ll get into why there could be a lot longer left to this bull market than many may …
Charts of the Week: May 27 – April 1
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts focus on the AI buildout, Q1 GDP numbers, the Fed Funds rate, and how oil prices are affecting households. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts of the Week: Apr. 27-May …
The Fantastic Five Deliver on Earnings
Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta delivered earnings reports that largely lived up to investors’ expectations last week. Their financial results paint a clear picture: AI is driving earnings growth even amidst record spending levels. While some investors may fear we’re in a ‘build and hope’ cycle, the results and commentary of this earnings season …
The AI Wave Continues, and It’s a Big One – 10 Charts Showing the Impact
We discussed the artificial intelligence (AI) wave in our 2026 Outlook and said we believed the best approach for investors was to ride it, using an equity overweight and broad diversified exposure. Five months later, that picture hasn’t changed—if anything, it’s only strengthened. AI continues to have a big impact on the economy. When I …
Let’s Talk About ‘Sell in May’
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.” Richard Feynman, American theoretical physicist Buckle up, as the trigger points for one of the most well-known investment axioms, “Sell in May and go away,” is nearly here. This gets a ton of play in the media, as the …
Small Cap Surprise
Small Cap stocks have staged a strong rebound starting late in 2025 in both absolute and relative (to large caps) terms. Many investors are likely not aware that small cap stocks have not only outperformed large cap stocks over the past year, but done so by more than 10%! There are a few reasons this …
Still Searching for Buffett (FvF Ep. 185)
In Episode 185 of Facts vs Feelings, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, and Sonu Varghese, Chief Macro Strategist at Carson Group, are recording live from Omaha at PodPony’s studio during Carson’s Q2 board meeting. They make a pilgrimage to the McDonald’s on 40th and Dodge that Warren Buffett reportedly frequents. No Buffett …
Portfolio Defense During Inflationary Growth
Today, we take a look at what’s worked defensively during the current rising rate period. I’m emphasizing “current” because every rising rate period has its own characteristics. To do this, we’ve looked at all S&P 500 drawdowns of more than 5% since September 2020. In some of these periods, bonds did “work” as a diversifier—in …
Charts of the Week: April 20-24
Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week This week’s charts focus on why stocks are at all-time highs, profit margins/earnings, the AI buildout, and why the Strait is still not really open despite headlines. We’ll keep publishing Charts of the Week every Monday. To view this week’s Charts of the Week, click here: Charts …