Insights Investments

Normally by the end of the quarter we get the second estimate for the prior quarter’s GDP growth (which is slightly more reliable than the first estimate). In the case of this Q3 GDP report, we missed the first estimate because of the shutdown and so the second estimate was the first full picture we …

By Blake Anderson, CFA®, Associate Portfolio Manager The Initial Public Offering (“IPO”) window reopened in 2025. IPOs are seen as the lifeblood of public capital markets and a measure of risk sentiment, with IPOs often the largest funding round in a company’s life, enabling the companies to vastly expand their investor base. IPO volume largely …

2025 kept investors off balance, and Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, and Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group turned to Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at B. Riley Wealth Management, to make sense of what actually drove the year. They dig into the gap between perception and reality on market breadth, why …

“If Santa should fail to call, bears may come to Broad and Wall.” —Yale Hirsh One of the little-known facts about the Santa Claus Rally (SCR) is that it isn’t the entire month of December; it’s actually only seven days. Discovered in 1972 by Yale Hirsch, creator of the Stock Trader’s Almanac (carried on now …

By Blake Anderson, CFA®, Associate Portfolio Manager Shares of major technology companies have fallen into correction territory in recent weeks. There are a few potential drivers of this drawdown, but it’s also worth it to reiterate that technology investments are inherently volatile. Investors operate under the guise of imperfect information that can often be spun …

Charts of the Week: Dec. 15 – 19 Thanks for reading this week’s Charts of the Week! We’ll continue to highlight key charts and themes shaping markets. Be sure to check back every Monday for the latest update!

Why long-term investors shouldn’t pay for flexibility they don’t need. By Kevin Bruce, CFA®, CFP, Analyst, Alternative Due Diligence Many advisors share the same core playbook with clients: think long-term, stay invested, diversify, and do not let short-term volatility derail the plan. It is the foundation of wealth creation. We remind clients that cash (the …

We finally got more timely data on the labor market and since it’s been a while, I thought I’d put together 11 charts showing what’s happening in the labor market. The big picture is that the labor market continues to cool, with weak hiring but also relatively low firings.   Job Growth Cools, A Lot …

By Michael Barczak, CFA®, VP, Investment Due Diligence Carson Investment Research’s 2026 Market Outlook is almost here, and in the meantime the Investment Research Team wanted to look at how active managers have performed in 2025, what may be the causes were of any trends we noticed, and what our views for 2026 suggest about …

A rare split is opening inside the Federal Reserve. Sonu Varghese, VP, Global Macro Strategist, and Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Wealth, dig into what that tension really means as growth projections move higher and rate cuts keep coming. They break down the widening gap between market expectations and the Fed’s own outlook, …

“Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin’ anywhere… Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feelin’.”  Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin’” After peaking on October 28 and seeing a more than 5% mild pullback into late November, the S&P 500 moved back to new all-time highs on …