MicroStrategy Inc.’s Michael Saylor may soon have almost as many common shares at his disposal to help fund the company’s Bitcoin buying spree as market behemoths Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. have outstanding.
Microsoft Corp. has plowed tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. With its stock struggling, the key question is how quickly those investments can prove to be successful.
Canada’s stock market — where returns have lagged the US for two straight years — might offer investors protection against a downturn in US stocks, a Toronto-based asset manager says.
Technical analysis is one of many tools we use to manage clients' wealth. While inconsistent, as with every forecasting model, it is the best means for quantifying investors' collective behaviors. Simply put, historical price and volume data provide a critical context for price levels likely to motivate buyers and sellers.
There will be more humanoid robots than people by 2040, Elon Musk recently bragged.
Something unusual came down the chimney late last year. During the holidays and the preceding weeks, there were a slew of splits among US ETFs – the most in the past four years, according to Wall Street Horizon’s data.
Despite challenges, the U.S. market saw strong returns in 2024 with a "soft landing" for the economy, leading to key questions and emerging themes for investors in 2025.
For this edition of Bull vs. Bear, the VettaFi writers debate the case for using sector ETFs to make bets on the new market regime.
For all of Wall Street’s excitement about Donald Trump’s growth agenda, the biggest banks are ending the Biden years on a high note.
Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after a surprise slowdown in inflation spurred a stock rally and a plunge in bond yields, reinforcing bets the Federal Reserve is on track to keep cutting rates this year.
The latest updates on the labor market and consumer prices show President-elect Donald Trump inherits an economy where inflation is poised to return to the Federal Reserve’s target later this year.
BlackRock Inc. attracted an annual record of $641 billion in client cash, underlining the firm’s global reach across public and, increasingly, private assets as it integrates multibillion-dollar acquisitions and reshapes its leadership.
I wrote this from Las Vegas, where my son Jonah and I were at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show). In investing and life, it’s very easy to get tunnel vision – doing what works and staying in your comfort zone. I wanted to attend CES to shake myself out of this pattern.
Bitcoin's closing price remained below $100,000 throughout the past week, yet it continues to hold above $90,000. BTC is up ~2% year to date. Here are the latest charts on three of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share through 1/14/25.
Nvidia Corp.’s $3 trillion run-up in market value in the two years since ChatGPT helped trigger an AI frenzy is bigger than any stock rally in history in such a short time span.
One of the longest, most technical and, as it turns out, most inconsequential public-policy debates of the 21st century was about net neutrality.
Manufacturing activity declined in New York State, according to the Empire State Manufacturing January survey. The diffusion index for General Business Conditions was fell nearly 15 points to -12.6. The latest reading was worse than the forecast of 2.7.
US government bonds surged as benign inflation data prompted traders to resume their bets on additional Federal Reserve interest rate cuts by July.
The strong performance of large-cap stocks over the past decade has left the market exceptionally top-heavy. By some measures, stock market capitalization has never been more concentrated among a handful of large stocks as today.
The global economic landscape continues to evolve, and 2025 promises to be a year of adaptation and resilience.
Nothing is more fundamental to the current health of the economy than jobs creation and income growth.
Explore your peers’ attitudes toward crypto, understand the emerging opportunities, and position yourself at the forefront of this financial transformation. Don’t miss this chance to unlock the potential of crypto assets for your clients and your practice.
Wall Street was set for a higher open on Tuesday, though a renewed rise in Treasury yields damped the sentiment boost offered earlier by the prospect of gradually imposed US trade tariffs.
Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the US operations of TikTok if the company fails to fend off a controversial ban on the short-video app, according to people familiar with the matter.
Over the past few months, I’ve had occasion to speak at a number of conferences concerned with the impact of artificial intelligence on financial jobs.
We identify four categories of risks to the growth outlook.
Every new year brings with it a new opportunity to stop for a moment, revisit resolutions, and refresh outlooks.
Let's take a close look at December's employment report numbers on Full and Part-Time Employment. The latest data shows that 82.7% of total employed workers are full-time (35+ hours) and 17.3% of total employed workers are part-time (<35 hours).
We are pro-risk, with the biggest overweight in U.S. stocks, yet eye three areas that could spur a view change.
OpenAI’s top executives are planning to host events in Washington DC and two key swing states to bolster support for investment in artificial intelligence as the company adapts to the biggest change in the US political landscape since ChatGPT launched.
The aerospace and defense industry plays a pivotal role in both national security and the stock market. With U.S. defense spending leading the world, the largest contractors are well-positioned for growth amid rising global tensions.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s quarterly sales topped estimates, reinforcing investor hopes that the torrid pace of AI hardware spending will extend into 2025.
Chinese investors’ fierce appetite for overseas shares has triggered rare, full-day suspensions on a pair of exchange-traded funds tracking global equities.
Energy is the star sector of the S&P 500 Index in the early days of 2025, shaking off two consecutive years when it was a market laggard, and gaining despite Wall Street’s dim outlook for oil and gas stocks.
With 2024 in the books, market participants now know that the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index surged about 85% over the past two years.
Many people these days are on heightened alert for bubbles, and I’m often asked whether there’s a bubble surrounding the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the handful of stocks that have been leading it.
When Mark Zuckerberg earnestly looked at a camera and told the world (or President-elect Donald Trump) that he was shutting down all fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, he left out some important context.
US Treasuries plunged as evidence of a resilient labor market pushed traders to shift their expectations for the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate cut to the second half of the year.
Indonesia isn’t taking a step back from its hardball approach to Apple Inc. The showdown has turned into quite a spectacle, but it’s unlikely the wins will be sustainable.
Stock investors have been watching the runup in US Treasury yields with considerable alarm of late.
A messy, ongoing tech breakup between the US and China is forcing a rethink about what the industry might look like for consumers in a decoupled world.
US equities were up notably in 2024, due to a strong economy, accelerating earnings growth, US election results, and AI/mega-cap strength.
Most people assume that the S&P 500 Index will go up over long holding periods.
US investment banks have little room for error in their upcoming full-year results.
President Joe Biden’s administration plans one additional round of restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips from the likes of Nvidia Corp. just days before leaving office, a final push in his effort to keep advanced technologies out of the hands of China and Russia.
After hitting nearly 80% of my predictions over the first five years, the past two years are calling into question whether I’m truly the ETF Nostradamus.
Yields may trade in a wide range as markets work through issues in the new year. Navigating volatility may mean capturing higher nominal and real yields over the longer term.
In our year ahead outlook, we unveil 5 key factors we believe offer rare certainty in these uncertain times. Discover how we’re navigating this landscape and positioning portfolios to seize opportunities and mitigate risks in the year ahead.
When you aren’t the one in charge, you will always be vulnerable to whatever decisions the leaders might make.
A cohort of about 20 Republican House members from New York, New Jersey and California was invited to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate Saturday ahead of a looming fight over an extension of his 2017 tax cuts.
The 20-year Treasury bond offered a grim warning as a selloff fueled by inflationary angst gripped global debt markets: 5% yields are already here.
The AI boom of the past two years has largely been a two-horse race. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp.-funded OpenAI have duked it out for customers, while Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. have nibbled at the margins for market share.
A few weeks ago, a reader emailed to challenge what he described as our “cautionary, skeptical and net negative” stance on Bitcoin.
On December 6, the S&P 500 set the most extreme level of valuations on record, exceeding both the 1929 and 2000 market peaks on measures that we find best-correlated with actual, subsequent 10-12 year S&P 500 total returns across a century of market cycles.
The new year begins with economic resilience, but investors should brace for a challenging path in 2025. Key economic indicators are still “goldilocks” and signal continued growth at a sustainable pace.
As we turn the page on 2024 and look ahead into 2025, the key question on investors' minds is: can 2024’s positive momentum in the economy and financial markets continue into 2025?
For 2025 and beyond, a few particular global and industry trends can offer attractive long-term returns for advisors and investors alike.
In the rush to secure a new client, many advisors instinctively push for momentum during the sales conversation, often feeling the pressure to keep things moving forward.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said policymakers can proceed more cautiously with additional rate cuts, citing a sturdy labor market and recent bumpiness in inflation data.
In a recent discussion on TheRealInvestmentShow, Bob Farrell and his 10 investment rules were discussed, which elicited several email questions asking, “Who is Bob Farrell, and where are these rules?”.
Three interconnected lessons from 2024 help shape our 2025 outlook.
2024 was about as good as it gets in the equity markets – with the BGEP up 31% and the broader market as a whole posting double digit gains. Underneath the surface, we believe that there are three main drivers of the year’s solid returns. We discuss them below in our market review and outlook.
The most telling moment in the Biden Administration’s decision to block Nippon Steel Corp.’s attempted takeover of United States Steel Corp. was unintentional.
The College Football playoffs included 12 teams this year and all five automatic berth teams (because they won their conference championships) are now out, including the top two ranked teams, Oregon and Georgia. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way, and the debate about why has only just started.
The same themes that drove sharp 2024 returns among the Magnificent 7 stocks appear to be very much alive in the new year.
Stocks rallied in 2024, delivering a second consecutive year of gains exceeding 20%, as investors embraced cooling inflation, falling interest rates and the prospect of lower corporate taxes under a second Trump administration.
Most people don’t pay much attention to the political process, either local or federal. This year I think it is something we should all be paying attention to as it might affect our various lives.
Money managers are seeing plenty of reasons to remain bullish on gold, following a stellar 2024 that saw the precious metal post its biggest annual gain since 2010.
President Joe Biden is indefinitely blocking offshore oil and gas development in more than 625 million acres of US coastal waters, warning that drilling there is simply “not worth the risks” and “unnecessary” to meet the nation’s energy needs.
MicroStrategy Inc. bought $101 million of Bitcoin after announcing that it would use perpetual preferred stock as well as common shares and debt to acquire more of the cryptocurrency.
What happens in the US economy doesn’t always stay there, particularly when it comes to the UK.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the central bank’s communication will be part of its 2025 monetary policy review.
The incoming Trump administration has set a goal of growing the economy by 3% per year, similar to promises made during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
To clear our notebooks entering 2025, here are quick perspectives on a range of topics.
After a strong November 2024, markets were generally down in December. The S&P 500 index was down 2.3%, while energy, small caps, value stocks, and REITs performed considerably worse.
Political uncertainty and volatility create fertile ground for active investors to find companies that can successfully navigate a new era.
The year ahead may present challenges as markets and the economy look to maintain momentum.
Gain insights into 2025’s top tech trends and market opportunities, and what experienced investors should consider for smart tech investments.
Although the general public might not pay much attention to such price swings, they still leave a serious impact on global trade and investment.
Wall Street is forecasting an 8% return in 2025. That’s below the 10.4% average nominal return over the past 99 years, but it is a forecast of even higher highs. Do you believe it? Will “The Bull” keep running this new year, or is it getting tired?
The AI market has evolved significantly in the past two years, shifting from a heavy reliance on mega-cap and semiconductor dominance to a more diverse set of beneficiaries.
Quant funds that make money surfing the momentum of markets saw a promising year slip away in 2024 when big bouts of volatility lashed everything from Japanese stocks to cocoa futures and Treasuries.
Purveyors of exchange-traded funds are finding ever more creative — and potentially riskier — ways to lure investors into the crypto craze.
The US banking system’s reserves, a key factor in the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep shrinking its balance sheet, tumbled below $3 trillion to the lowest since October 2020.
President Joe Biden has blocked the $14.1 billion sale of United States Steel Corp. to Nippon Steel Corp., killing a high-profile deal that sparked a political firestorm and tensions between the US and Japan.
Maybe you have a pile of cash to invest, but you’re terrified of putting it into a US stock market near record highs.
December's market activity highlights the need for caution in the near term.
When Jaguar’s “copy nothing” brand reboot hit late last year, one self-styled car enthusiast replied on X: “What the actual hell is this.” Jaguar’s response: “The future.”
The clouds that hung over the financial-technology industry in 2024 appear to be clearing as interest-rate cuts, recoveries in fintech stocks and promises of a looser regulatory environment in the second Trump administration paint a more promising outlook for startups.
FAs looking to make 2025 their year need to have the right resolutions. Here are a few suggestions to give your 202 focus and clarity.
Fintech
MicroStrategy May Soon Rival Amazon, Alphabet in Common Shares
MicroStrategy Inc.’s Michael Saylor may soon have almost as many common shares at his disposal to help fund the company’s Bitcoin buying spree as market behemoths Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc. have outstanding.
Microsoft’s Stock Revival Hinges on Showing Growth From AI Binge
Microsoft Corp. has plowed tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence. With its stock struggling, the key question is how quickly those investments can prove to be successful.
Canada a ‘Good Place to Hide’ If US Stocks Drop, Contrarian Says
Canada’s stock market — where returns have lagged the US for two straight years — might offer investors protection against a downturn in US stocks, a Toronto-based asset manager says.
Technical Analysis Is Not Voodoo, It Is Invaluable Context
Technical analysis is one of many tools we use to manage clients' wealth. While inconsistent, as with every forecasting model, it is the best means for quantifying investors' collective behaviors. Simply put, historical price and volume data provide a critical context for price levels likely to motivate buyers and sellers.
Elon Musk’s Robotopia Will Bloom in Aging Europe
There will be more humanoid robots than people by 2040, Elon Musk recently bragged.
A US ETF Split Surge in Q4 2024: Digging Into the Data and What It Means for Investors
Something unusual came down the chimney late last year. During the holidays and the preceding weeks, there were a slew of splits among US ETFs – the most in the past four years, according to Wall Street Horizon’s data.
2024 and 2025 Investment Insights: The Magnificent 7 Stocks, Sector Growth, and Emerging Themes
Despite challenges, the U.S. market saw strong returns in 2024 with a "soft landing" for the economy, leading to key questions and emerging themes for investors in 2025.
Bull vs. Bear: Using Sector ETFs to Make Bets on the New Regime
For this edition of Bull vs. Bear, the VettaFi writers debate the case for using sector ETFs to make bets on the new market regime.
Big US Bank Profits Surge as Biden Era Comes to a Close
For all of Wall Street’s excitement about Donald Trump’s growth agenda, the biggest banks are ending the Biden years on a high note.
Wall Street Has Best CPI Day Since at Least 2023: Markets Wrap
Wall Street breathed a sigh of relief after a surprise slowdown in inflation spurred a stock rally and a plunge in bond yields, reinforcing bets the Federal Reserve is on track to keep cutting rates this year.
The Inflation Genie Is Moving to the White House
The latest updates on the labor market and consumer prices show President-elect Donald Trump inherits an economy where inflation is poised to return to the Federal Reserve’s target later this year.
BlackRock Gets Record Client Cash, Revamps Leadership Team
BlackRock Inc. attracted an annual record of $641 billion in client cash, underlining the firm’s global reach across public and, increasingly, private assets as it integrates multibillion-dollar acquisitions and reshapes its leadership.
Thoughts from the Consumer Electronics Show
I wrote this from Las Vegas, where my son Jonah and I were at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show). In investing and life, it’s very easy to get tunnel vision – doing what works and staying in your comfort zone. I wanted to attend CES to shake myself out of this pattern.
Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Maintains Level Below $100K
Bitcoin's closing price remained below $100,000 throughout the past week, yet it continues to hold above $90,000. BTC is up ~2% year to date. Here are the latest charts on three of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share through 1/14/25.
Nvidia’s $3 Trillion Rally Is On Edge, Wall Street Is Unfazed
Nvidia Corp.’s $3 trillion run-up in market value in the two years since ChatGPT helped trigger an AI frenzy is bigger than any stock rally in history in such a short time span.
So Long, Net Neutrality, and Good Riddance
One of the longest, most technical and, as it turns out, most inconsequential public-policy debates of the 21st century was about net neutrality.
Empire State Manufacturing Survey: Activity Declines in January
Manufacturing activity declined in New York State, according to the Empire State Manufacturing January survey. The diffusion index for General Business Conditions was fell nearly 15 points to -12.6. The latest reading was worse than the forecast of 2.7.
Treasuries Surge as Easing Inflation Boosts Fed Rate-Cut Bets
US government bonds surged as benign inflation data prompted traders to resume their bets on additional Federal Reserve interest rate cuts by July.
Slimming Down a Top-Heavy Market
The strong performance of large-cap stocks over the past decade has left the market exceptionally top-heavy. By some measures, stock market capitalization has never been more concentrated among a handful of large stocks as today.
2025 Outlook: Run It Back
The global economic landscape continues to evolve, and 2025 promises to be a year of adaptation and resilience.
Expect Innovation Led American Exceptionalism to Continue
Nothing is more fundamental to the current health of the economy than jobs creation and income growth.
From Skepticism to Strategy: How Advisors Are Approaching Crypto Assets in 2025
Explore your peers’ attitudes toward crypto, understand the emerging opportunities, and position yourself at the forefront of this financial transformation. Don’t miss this chance to unlock the potential of crypto assets for your clients and your practice.
Wall Street Set for Higher Open on Tariff Report
Wall Street was set for a higher open on Tuesday, though a renewed rise in Treasury yields damped the sentiment boost offered earlier by the prospect of gradually imposed US trade tariffs.
China Weighs Sale of TikTok US to Musk as a Possible Option
Chinese officials are evaluating a potential option that involves Elon Musk acquiring the US operations of TikTok if the company fails to fend off a controversial ban on the short-video app, according to people familiar with the matter.
Don’t Bank on Your Banking Job Outlasting AI
Over the past few months, I’ve had occasion to speak at a number of conferences concerned with the impact of artificial intelligence on financial jobs.
What We're Worrying About
We identify four categories of risks to the growth outlook.
Market Predictions & ETF Ideas for a New Year
Every new year brings with it a new opportunity to stop for a moment, revisit resolutions, and refresh outlooks.
A Closer Look at Full-time and Part-time Employment: December 2024
Let's take a close look at December's employment report numbers on Full and Part-Time Employment. The latest data shows that 82.7% of total employed workers are full-time (35+ hours) and 17.3% of total employed workers are part-time (<35 hours).
Triggers to Change Our Pro-Risk View
We are pro-risk, with the biggest overweight in U.S. stocks, yet eye three areas that could spur a view change.
OpenAI Emphasizes China Competition in Pitch to a New Washington
OpenAI’s top executives are planning to host events in Washington DC and two key swing states to bolster support for investment in artificial intelligence as the company adapts to the biggest change in the US political landscape since ChatGPT launched.
The Top 10 U.S. Aerospace and Defense Contractors
The aerospace and defense industry plays a pivotal role in both national security and the stock market. With U.S. defense spending leading the world, the largest contractors are well-positioned for growth amid rising global tensions.
TSMC Sales Beat Estimates in Boost for AI’s Outlook in 2025
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s quarterly sales topped estimates, reinforcing investor hopes that the torrid pace of AI hardware spending will extend into 2025.
Chinese Traders’ Demand for Global Stocks Prompt Rare ETF Halts
Chinese investors’ fierce appetite for overseas shares has triggered rare, full-day suspensions on a pair of exchange-traded funds tracking global equities.
Energy Sector Goes From S&P 500’s ‘Worst to First’ in 2025 Start
Energy is the star sector of the S&P 500 Index in the early days of 2025, shaking off two consecutive years when it was a market laggard, and gaining despite Wall Street’s dim outlook for oil and gas stocks.
Big Tech Can Lead Again in 2025
With 2024 in the books, market participants now know that the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index surged about 85% over the past two years.
On Bubble Watch
Many people these days are on heightened alert for bubbles, and I’m often asked whether there’s a bubble surrounding the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the handful of stocks that have been leading it.
A New World for Facebook and Instagram: Zuckerberg’s Splinternet
When Mark Zuckerberg earnestly looked at a camera and told the world (or President-elect Donald Trump) that he was shutting down all fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, he left out some important context.
US 30-Year Yield Hits 5% as Traders Push Back Next Fed Rate Cut
US Treasuries plunged as evidence of a resilient labor market pushed traders to shift their expectations for the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate cut to the second half of the year.
Indonesia’s Showdown With Apple Is Far From Over
Indonesia isn’t taking a step back from its hardball approach to Apple Inc. The showdown has turned into quite a spectacle, but it’s unlikely the wins will be sustainable.
Who’s Afraid of Rising Treasury Yields? Not Stocks
Stock investors have been watching the runup in US Treasury yields with considerable alarm of late.
US-China Tech Breakup Is a Race to the Bottom
A messy, ongoing tech breakup between the US and China is forcing a rethink about what the industry might look like for consumers in a decoupled world.
With New Risks Surfacing, How Should Investors Position Portfolios in 2025?
US equities were up notably in 2024, due to a strong economy, accelerating earnings growth, US election results, and AI/mega-cap strength.
Can Howard Marks Spot a Stock Bubble Twice?
Most people assume that the S&P 500 Index will go up over long holding periods.
Bankers Need the Right Trump Outcome to Justify Stock Optimism
US investment banks have little room for error in their upcoming full-year results.
Biden to Further Limit Nvidia AI Chip Exports in Final Push
President Joe Biden’s administration plans one additional round of restrictions on the export of artificial intelligence chips from the likes of Nvidia Corp. just days before leaving office, a final push in his effort to keep advanced technologies out of the hands of China and Russia.
5 ETF Predictions for 2025
After hitting nearly 80% of my predictions over the first five years, the past two years are calling into question whether I’m truly the ETF Nostradamus.
Treasury Bonds: Riding the Range
Yields may trade in a wide range as markets work through issues in the new year. Navigating volatility may mean capturing higher nominal and real yields over the longer term.
2025 Year Ahead: Certainties for an Uncertain World
In our year ahead outlook, we unveil 5 key factors we believe offer rare certainty in these uncertain times. Discover how we’re navigating this landscape and positioning portfolios to seize opportunities and mitigate risks in the year ahead.
Low Standards and Big Secrets in the Workplace
When you aren’t the one in charge, you will always be vulnerable to whatever decisions the leaders might make.
Trump Gathers SALT-Focused Republicans Before Tax Fight
A cohort of about 20 Republican House members from New York, New Jersey and California was invited to meet with President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate Saturday ahead of a looming fight over an extension of his 2017 tax cuts.
Treasury Market Gets First 5% Yield in Sign of What Could Come
The 20-year Treasury bond offered a grim warning as a selloff fueled by inflationary angst gripped global debt markets: 5% yields are already here.
Google’s Most Serious Rival Isn’t Microsoft. It’s a Startup
The AI boom of the past two years has largely been a two-horse race. Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp.-funded OpenAI have duked it out for customers, while Amazon.com Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. have nibbled at the margins for market share.
Bitcoin Is Not a Nothing, But Not a Something Either
A few weeks ago, a reader emailed to challenge what he described as our “cautionary, skeptical and net negative” stance on Bitcoin.
Pressing for Yet More
On December 6, the S&P 500 set the most extreme level of valuations on record, exceeding both the 1929 and 2000 market peaks on measures that we find best-correlated with actual, subsequent 10-12 year S&P 500 total returns across a century of market cycles.
A Cautious Take on the New Year’s Market
The new year begins with economic resilience, but investors should brace for a challenging path in 2025. Key economic indicators are still “goldilocks” and signal continued growth at a sustainable pace.
Our 10 Investing Themes for 2025
As we turn the page on 2024 and look ahead into 2025, the key question on investors' minds is: can 2024’s positive momentum in the economy and financial markets continue into 2025?
Keep These Investment Themes In Mind For 2025
For 2025 and beyond, a few particular global and industry trends can offer attractive long-term returns for advisors and investors alike.
The Magic Phrase to Never Lose The Sale
In the rush to secure a new client, many advisors instinctively push for momentum during the sales conversation, often feeling the pressure to keep things moving forward.
Fed’s Cook Says Officials Can Be More Cautious With Rate Cuts
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook said policymakers can proceed more cautiously with additional rate cuts, citing a sturdy labor market and recent bumpiness in inflation data.
The Rules Of Bob Farrell – An Updated Illustrated Guide
In a recent discussion on TheRealInvestmentShow, Bob Farrell and his 10 investment rules were discussed, which elicited several email questions asking, “Who is Bob Farrell, and where are these rules?”.
Three Investment Lessons From 2024
Three interconnected lessons from 2024 help shape our 2025 outlook.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Performance Commentary and Review
2024 was about as good as it gets in the equity markets – with the BGEP up 31% and the broader market as a whole posting double digit gains. Underneath the surface, we believe that there are three main drivers of the year’s solid returns. We discuss them below in our market review and outlook.
Biden’s Steel Move Is No Way to Treat an Ally
The most telling moment in the Biden Administration’s decision to block Nippon Steel Corp.’s attempted takeover of United States Steel Corp. was unintentional.
2025: A Year of Promise and Paybacks
The College Football playoffs included 12 teams this year and all five automatic berth teams (because they won their conference championships) are now out, including the top two ranked teams, Oregon and Georgia. It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way, and the debate about why has only just started.
NVIDIA In Focus: CES This Week, J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference Next Week, February Earnings
The same themes that drove sharp 2024 returns among the Magnificent 7 stocks appear to be very much alive in the new year.
AI Frenzy Drove the S&P 500’s Best Two-Year Gains Since the Dot-Com Era
Stocks rallied in 2024, delivering a second consecutive year of gains exceeding 20%, as investors embraced cooling inflation, falling interest rates and the prospect of lower corporate taxes under a second Trump administration.
A Controversial Start
Most people don’t pay much attention to the political process, either local or federal. This year I think it is something we should all be paying attention to as it might affect our various lives.
Gold Investors Stay Bullish for 2025 on Trump Volatility
Money managers are seeing plenty of reasons to remain bullish on gold, following a stellar 2024 that saw the precious metal post its biggest annual gain since 2010.
Biden Bars Offshore Oil Drilling in US Atlantic and Pacific
President Joe Biden is indefinitely blocking offshore oil and gas development in more than 625 million acres of US coastal waters, warning that drilling there is simply “not worth the risks” and “unnecessary” to meet the nation’s energy needs.
MicroStrategy Buys Bitcoin After Adding Preferred Offering
MicroStrategy Inc. bought $101 million of Bitcoin after announcing that it would use perpetual preferred stock as well as common shares and debt to acquire more of the cryptocurrency.
The UK Can Find Its Place in Trump’s America
What happens in the US economy doesn’t always stay there, particularly when it comes to the UK.
Three Ways the Fed's Message Falls Short — and How to Fix Them
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has indicated that the central bank’s communication will be part of its 2025 monetary policy review.
How Trump Can Achieve Sustained 3% GDP Growth
The incoming Trump administration has set a goal of growing the economy by 3% per year, similar to promises made during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
Random Thoughts
To clear our notebooks entering 2025, here are quick perspectives on a range of topics.
QuantStreet January 2025 Letter: Trump-Trade Reversal
After a strong November 2024, markets were generally down in December. The S&P 500 index was down 2.3%, while energy, small caps, value stocks, and REITs performed considerably worse.
Equity Outlook: Preparing for Profound Policy-Driven Change
Political uncertainty and volatility create fertile ground for active investors to find companies that can successfully navigate a new era.
2025 Investing Outlook
The year ahead may present challenges as markets and the economy look to maintain momentum.
Tech Investing in 2025: Emerging Trends and Market Opportunities
Gain insights into 2025’s top tech trends and market opportunities, and what experienced investors should consider for smart tech investments.
How Climate Volatility Is Redefining Commodity Markets
Although the general public might not pay much attention to such price swings, they still leave a serious impact on global trade and investment.
A 99-Year Perspective on US Markets — Is the Bull Getting Tired?
Wall Street is forecasting an 8% return in 2025. That’s below the 10.4% average nominal return over the past 99 years, but it is a forecast of even higher highs. Do you believe it? Will “The Bull” keep running this new year, or is it getting tired?
AI Market Leaders: How Equity Performance Is Evolving among AI Innovators
The AI market has evolved significantly in the past two years, shifting from a heavy reliance on mega-cap and semiconductor dominance to a more diverse set of beneficiaries.
Fast-Money Quants Saw Big Year Go Bust in Wild Cross-Asset Ride
Quant funds that make money surfing the momentum of markets saw a promising year slip away in 2024 when big bouts of volatility lashed everything from Japanese stocks to cocoa futures and Treasuries.
ETF Companies Are Racing to Launch the Next ‘Hot’ Crypto Fund
Purveyors of exchange-traded funds are finding ever more creative — and potentially riskier — ways to lure investors into the crypto craze.
Reserves at Fed Sink Below $3 Trillion to the Lowest Since 2020
The US banking system’s reserves, a key factor in the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep shrinking its balance sheet, tumbled below $3 trillion to the lowest since October 2020.
Biden Blocks Nippon Steel’s $14.1 Billion Takeover of US Steel
President Joe Biden has blocked the $14.1 billion sale of United States Steel Corp. to Nippon Steel Corp., killing a high-profile deal that sparked a political firestorm and tensions between the US and Japan.
Don’t Fear the Froth. Stay Invested Even If Stocks Are Overvalued.
Maybe you have a pile of cash to invest, but you’re terrified of putting it into a US stock market near record highs.
S&P 500 Records Its Second Straight Year of 20%-Plus Gains
December's market activity highlights the need for caution in the near term.
A ‘Made in China’ Crisis Awaits Big Auto
When Jaguar’s “copy nothing” brand reboot hit late last year, one self-styled car enthusiast replied on X: “What the actual hell is this.” Jaguar’s response: “The future.”
Regulation, Deals and Crypto: Fintech Themes to Watch in 2025
The clouds that hung over the financial-technology industry in 2024 appear to be clearing as interest-rate cuts, recoveries in fintech stocks and promises of a looser regulatory environment in the second Trump administration paint a more promising outlook for startups.
4 Resolutions for Financial Advisors
FAs looking to make 2025 their year need to have the right resolutions. Here are a few suggestions to give your 202 focus and clarity.