Why Does the Stock Market Keep Going Up?
Why Does the Stock Market Keep Going Up? Weekly BriefApril 15, 2026•10 min read Clients have recently been asking why we rebalanced our model portfolios on April 1 to invest the large cash position back into equities that included gold miners. This rebalance was timely as global and US stock markets bottomed on March 30 […]
Building and Preserving Wealth
Building and Preserving Wealth Weekly BriefApril 08, 2026•6 min read From October 13, 2022, U.S. equities embarked on a powerful rally, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq outperforming most global indices through January 29, 2026. However, as reports of a potential conflict with Iran began to surface early this year, growing fears of war started […]
Differing Moods of Investors and Consumers
Differing Moods of Investors and Consumers Weekly BriefApril 01, 2026•7 min read Before the war with Iran, both investors and consumers were already facing significant uncertainty about the outlook for their finances and the broader U.S. economy. Investors were focused on several key issues, including the future path of Federal Reserve interest rates, the appointment […]
Stocks Need to Rebuild New Uptrend
Stocks Need to Rebuild New Uptrend Weekly BriefMarch 25, 2026•7 min read An uptrend can lose momentum for many reasons. Sometimes, unexpected political, economic, or global events disrupt the market and reverse direction. Other times, a rally simply becomes overextended, with investors searching for an excuse to take profits. In most cases, positive momentum gradually […]
Investors Not Panicking
Investors Not Panicking Weekly BriefMarch 18, 2026•4 min read On June 12–13 of last year, Israel carried out large-scale airstrikes against Iran, targeting nuclear facilities, military bases, and senior commanders and scientists. Dozens of sites were neutralized, and several top Iranian military leaders were killed. Despite the escalation, U.S. institutional investors showed little concern and […]
How Productive are Countries?
How Productive are Countries? Weekly BriefMarch 04, 2026•4 min read Today I was evaluating economic data on the major countries around the world. One of my economic resources updated the chart below on the status of various key countries: My first observation is that the United States, while ranking third in population (343.1 million), generates […]
The Bipolar Stock Market
The Bipolar Stock Market Weekly BriefFebruary 18, 2026•7 min read The Mayo Clinic has defined bipolar disorder as: “A chronic mental health condition characterized by extreme mood swings, alternating between intense highs and severe lows, sometimes to levels of depression. It can impact energy, sleep, judgment, and daily functioning, and the exact cause is unknown.” […]
Small Business Owners and Consumers Slow Sentiment Improvement
Small Business Owners and Consumers Slow Sentiment Improvement Weekly BriefFebruary 11, 2026•7 min read Over the past three days, we’ve received reports on the state of consumer sentiment and small business confidence. The results show that both groups are slowly becoming more optimistic about the future, though improvement remains modest. Starting with consumers, the University […]
Santa Claus Happy with Wall Street
Santa Claus Happy with Wall Street Weekly BriefFebruary 04, 2026•5 min read Several years ago, Simon Maierhofer, editor and founder of iSpy ETF Newsletter, introduced me to a combination of three barometers that have had interesting results in predicting the future S&P 500 performance of the new year. These three barometers are monitoring the performance […]
Consumers Depressed But Still Spending (Jan 2026)
Consumers Depressed But Still Spending Weekly BriefJanuary 28, 2026•6 min read Since 1972, the University of Michigan has surveyed approximately 1,000 households each month to produce its Consumer Sentiment Index. The index ranges from 0, representing extreme pessimism, to 110, reflecting peak optimism. Over its 73-year history, the median reading has been 80, a level […]